The bottom line is that there is no relevant federal definition of an astronaut. Duffy’s own agency certainly doesn’t claim responsibility for making that designation.

Regardless, it’s not really his call. You may not like Perry’s music or her association with Dr. Luke. But if she wants to call herself an astronaut, there’s no one who can tell her she’s not. Personally, I’m happy to call her one, along with the many other amazing women who have only reached space in the last few years because of the suborbital space tourism vehicles developed by Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. The more the merrier.

I find it much better to live in a world where space tourism is actually happening, rather than one in which it is not.