Katy Perry is heading off on The Lifetimes Tour, but her trip into space is still dividing members of the public as they’re unsure about one detail of the brief journey into orbit
Katy Perry fans have been left divided as to whether her trip in to space makes her an astronaut. With The Lifetimes Tour set to get underway in the UK today (October 4), listeners of the pop sensation are still trying to figure out if the singer’s brief trip to space puts her in the same category as Neil Armstrong and Yuri Gagarin.
Whether it does or not has been hotly contested by members of the public, who have suggested Perry is more “astropassenger” than “astronaut”. A furious post to the r/Spaceflight Reddit page saw passionate members of the public debate whether Perry could be considered an astronaut.
Famous faces like Star Trek actor William Shatner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos have also been to space in recent years. A post to the r/Spaceflight Reddit page reads: “Katy Perry is not an astronaut, she is an astropassenger.
“She recently flew into space on a Blue Origin rocket as part of an all-female crew which is operated autonomously.
“These types of flights, often referred to as space tourism, involve individuals who are passengers rather than part of the professional operating crew or conducting scientific research as their primary goal.
“While the term ‘astronaut’ is sometimes used more broadly, it typically refers to individuals who have undergone extensive training and are part of a space agency’s program, often involved in piloting spacecraft, conducting scientific experiments, or performing other mission-critical tasks.
“Katy Perry’s flight was a suborbital flight focused on experiencing weightlessness and viewing Earth from space, making ‘astropassenger’ a more fitting description in this context.”
Others believe the term “space tourist” is better applied to Perry and the crew’s brief trip off of this planet.
Another suggested the term “astronaut” should be reserved for those whose trips into space are for professional reasons.
They fumed: “Calling celebrities or wealthy individuals like Katy Perry ‘astronauts’ after a brief suborbital flight with Blue Origin dilutes the meaning of the title and disrespects the dedication, risk, and professionalism of those who have earned it through years – if not decades – of rigorous training, education, and sacrifice.
“I also don’t want to sound like I’m against the Blue Origin flights in anyway: anything that brings attention to the space domain is great.
“Let’s just call them what they are; thrill rides. Which can be great, but riding a rollercoaster doesn’t make you a fighter pilot.”
But others believe Perry is, by definition, an astronaut. They wrote: “Astronaut is anyone who goes to space. It used to be hard and the first astronauts were worthy of respect because only the dedicated and hardworking could do it.
“Now it’s easy. Being an astronaut doesn’t indicate that you’re worthy of anything. That’s ok. It’s the whole point of the space program.
“The early aeronauts were all brave, intrepid, and inspiring. Now anyone with 50 bucks and a Ryanair/Spirit airlines ticket is an aeronaut and it doesn’t mean anything.”