When talking about the recent developments of space travel and its technology, we are often contemplating the future of discovery that lies throughout the stars and what new boundaries humanity is ready to break. However, it seems that the recent space flight of an all-female crew has generated discussions that are more about representation than anything else.
Blue Origin launched their team to the edge of space and landed them shortly after, making the whole trip last around ten minutes. This short flight seemed to be intended to act as a form of representation when it comes to women in aerospace, but the message has mostly fallen on deaf ears. This is due to the mission’s intended optics that don’t work upon closer look.
The whole point of the flight was to display the less than 15% of women in aerospace that help make space travel possible. This is an admirable goal, but the female crew was only composed of two crewmates who had some experience in this field. The other four have zero experience. The only thing they have in common with female astronauts is their gender, which has been pointed out as being very shallow. The fact that this mission had no productive purpose other than representation does not help their case. At best, it was a poor attempt to showcase gender equality. At worst, it was a vanity project meant to capture a few headlines.
As harsh as I am to this whole ordeal, I hold nothing against the crew. I think many of us would jump at the chance to experience space for even a limited time. I just hope that we can use our limited resources to perform miracles that will be beneficial for the long term so that both men and women can share the wonders of space.
