Amanda Nguyen, one of the women aboard the so-called first female space flight, says she experienced depression due to the “tsunami of harassment” following the highly publicized Blue Origin ride.
Besides Nguyen, pop singer Katy Perry, CBS anchor Gayle King, and Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez were among the six women who flew to the edge of space on the Amazon founder’s Blue Origin spacecraft in April. Their flight was touted as historic and important by many major outlets, but critics mocked the circus surrounding the 11-minute space tourism flight.
Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist, said backlash to the flight affected both her career and mental health. The 34-year-old posted about it on her Instagram on Tuesday, describing it as “another dream turned into a nightmare.”
She said the news coverage and social media reactions were “unprecedented,” and argued that even a “small fraction of negativity becomes staggering.” Nguyen also noted that her accomplishment of becoming the first Vietnamese woman in space was “buried under an avalanche of misogyny.”
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“It amounted to billions of hostile impressions,” she wrote, “an onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure.”
“I did not leave Texas for a week, unable to get out of bed. A month later, when a senior staff at Blue [Origin] called me, I had to hang up on him because I could not speak through my tears,” Nguyen went on.
“In my moments of deep grief this year, I reached back out to a familiar place, to her – my survivor self – who found the strength to fight. How horrible that I needed to deploy that skill once again,” she said.
The space flight participant said only recently that the “fog of grief has started to lift.” “Vietnam saved me … You all saved me,” she went on. 
Blue Origin is a private space company founded in 2000 by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The all-female space flight was criticized by social media users and celebrities for being over-promoted for what it turned out to be.
Actress Olivia Munn said as much on an episode of “Today with Jenna and Friends,” as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/blue-origin-all-female-crew-including-katy-perry-launches-into-space">reported</a>.
“What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s a bit gluttonous,” Munn said. “Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”

Amanda Nguyen

Blue Origin ‘Astronaut’ Says Mockery Left Her ‘Depressed’ And ‘Unable To Get Out Of Bed’

Blue Origin 'Astronaut' Says Mockery Left Her 'Depressed' And 'Unable To Get Out Of Bed'

Blue Origin

Celebrities

Jeff Bezos

Outer Space

Space

Women

At around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, SpaceX’s Starship exploded as it prepared for its tenth flight test at SpaceX’s Starbase in southern Texas. 
In an X post on Wednesday, SpaceX attributed the event to a “major anomaly” and said that their “team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials.” No one was injured in the massive explosion, according to SpaceX. 
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On Wednesday, June 18 at approximately 11 p.m. CT, the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase. A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted…
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1935572705941880971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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According to the livestream video of the incident, the rocket experienced at least two explosions, one after the other, before debris rained down on the surrounding area. SpaceX <a href="https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1935572705941880971">reassured</a> that there were no casualties and residents in the nearby communities will not experience any hazards. 
Tech-titan and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk weighed in on X, where he joked that the explosion was “just a scratch.” 
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Just a scratch
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1935638560276926914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Starship rocket system is essential to Musk’s ambition to put humans on Mars and this event is only the latest in a series of setbacks.
In May, the Starship spun out of control halfway through its flight without accomplishing some of its testing goals. Two months before that, the rocket exploded in space just minutes after lifting off from Texas. 
Of this latest failure, Musk said that “preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload bay failed below its proof pressure. If further investigation confirms that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design.”
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Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload bay failed below its proof pressure.
If further investigation confirms that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1935660973827952675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Starbase

SpaceX Starship Explodes At Launch Site – On Camera

Elon Musk

Explosion

SpaceX

Texas

On Saturday night, President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-nominates-ally-of-elon-musk-to-lead-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nomination</a> of Jared Isaacman, a close ally of Elon Musk, to be the next Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
&#8220;After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114605559474286180" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on Truth Social. &#8220;I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space. Thank you for your attention to this matter!&#8221;
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/31/us/politics/trump-nasa-nominee-musk.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Trump had told people he was going to withdraw the nomination after learning that Isaacman, an entrepreneur who has flown into space twice with Musk&#8217;s SpaceX company, made donations to Democrats. Isaacson had been <a href="https://x.com/SenateCloakroom/status/1925628326095257635" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poised</a> to get a final confirmation vote in the Senate after passing through the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
In a post on X, Isaacman <a href="https://x.com/rookisaacman/status/1928995338729435432" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he was &#8220;incredibly grateful&#8221; to Trump, the Senate, and those who supported him through the nomination process over the past six months.
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&#8220;The President, NASA and the American people deserve the very best&#8211;an Administrator ready to reorganize, rebuild and rally the best and brightest minds to deliver the world-changing headlines NASA was built to create,&#8221; Isaacman said. &#8220;I have not flown my last mission — whatever form that may ultimately take — but I remain incredibly optimistic that humanity’s greatest spacefaring days lie ahead.&#8221;
Pro-Trump activist journalist Laura Loomer <a href="https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1928849664905728223" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on X earlier on Saturday that &#8220;Deep State operatives&#8221; were trying to &#8220;derail&#8221; Isaacman&#8217;s nomination, noting there was &#8220;reason to believe&#8221; that he was &#8220;facing retaliation because of his friendship&#8221; with Musk, who just <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/trump-musk-final-day-at-doge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ended</a> a stint as a special government employee in Trump&#8217;s administration. Loomer also pointed out that Isaacman had given $2 million to Trump&#8217;s inauguration and was on track to get over 70 votes in the Senate.
Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) <a href="https://x.com/TimSheehyMT/status/1928856589018038330" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reacted</a> to Loomer&#8217;s post, saying, &#8220;Astronaut and successful businessman [Isaacman] was a strong choice by President Trump to lead NASA. I was proud to introduce Jared at his hearing and strongly oppose efforts to derail his nomination.&#8221;

Jared Isaacman

Trump Abruptly Withdraws Musk Ally’s Nomination For NASA Chief

Donald Trump

Executive

NASA

Politics

Presidential nomination

Fast food chain Wendy’s has not apologized for trolling pop singer Katy Perry for her space ride via its official X account, but it did say it “has a ton of respect for&#8221; her.
The six women who made up the all-female flight crew have been getting mixed reviews ever since they boarded Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission on Monday for an 11-minute ride. Perry, TV personality Gayle King, and Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez were among the women who took the flight, which they and many media outlets insisted was of historic significance. 
But there’s also been pushback, with members of the public and some celebrities saying the space ride was nothing more than regular space tourism with a female-heavy roster. Wendy’s social media account got in on the jokes.
The X account Pop Crave announced on Monday, “Katy Perry has returned from space,” prompting the people running Wendy’s social media accounts to reply, “Can we send her back.”
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Can we send her back
&mdash; Wendy’s (@Wendys) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wendys/status/1911939109871923213?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Another post on Monday shared from the Wendy’s account said, “When we said women in stem this isn’t what we meant.”
The posts got a lot of laughs from followers and some criticism. One source who is “close to the situation” told <a href="https://people.com/katy-perry-deserves-apology-from-wendys-blue-origin-comments-exclusive-source-11717191?taid=68013ed1cbec1800016b41dd&amp;utm_campaign=peoplemagazine&amp;utm_content=new&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com">People</a> that Wendy’s should issue Perry an apology. “This wasn&#8217;t harmless banter, this was a billion-dollar brand using its platform to publicly demean a woman,” the source told the outlet, adding that &#8220;when billion-dollar brands join in, it’s irresponsible.&#8221;
Wendy’s responded, but not with an apology. People received a statement from the popular fast food brand saying: &#8220;We always bring a little spice to our socials, but Wendy’s has a ton of respect for Katy Perry and her out-of-this-world-talent.”
Perry hasn’t addressed any of the criticism publicly, but King responded to the haters, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gayle-king-complains-its-disrespectful-sexist-to-call-8-minute-space-ride-a-ride">claiming</a> it was sexist and “disrespectful” to criticize them. 
“So I wish people would do more due diligence. And then my question is, have y’all been to space? Go to space or go to Blue Origin and see what they do … and then come back and say, ‘This is a terrible thing,&#8217;” King said in part. 
She continued, “You never see a man, a male astronaut, who’s going up in space and they say, ‘Oh, he took a ride.’ … It’s always referred to as a flight or a journey, so I feel that’s a little disrespectful to what the mission was and the work that Blue Origin does.”

Katy Perry

Wendy’s Doesn’t Apologize For Trolling Katy Perry’s Space Ride, But Has ‘A Ton Of Respect’ For Her

Wendy's Doesn't Apologize For Trolling Katy Perry Space Ride, But Says They 'Respect' Her

Business

Twitter

Wendy's

Scientists announced yesterday the strongest evidence yet for possible alien life after detecting gases in a distant planet&#8217;s atmosphere that, on Earth, are only produced by living organisms.
The James Webb Space Telescope detected dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide in the atmosphere of planet K2-18 b, according to a study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/science/scientists-find-strongest-evidence-yet-life-an-alien-planet-2025-04-16/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by Reuters.
These gases are produced on Earth exclusively by biological processes, primarily by algae.
Located approximately 124 light-years from Earth, K2-18 b is 8.6 times Earth&#8217;s mass and orbits in the &#8220;habitable zone&#8221; of a red dwarf star where liquid water could exist.
The gases were detected with a 99.7% confidence level, meaning there&#8217;s still a 0.3% chance the observation could be a statistical fluke.
&#8220;This is a transformational moment in the search for life beyond the solar system,&#8221; said astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan of Cambridge University, who led the study. &#8220;We have entered the era of observational astrobiology.&#8221;
Scientists stress this finding should be viewed cautiously, with Madhusudhan noting it&#8217;s &#8220;in no one&#8217;s interest to claim prematurely that we have detected life.&#8221; Additional observations are needed to rule out non-biological explanations.
The planet could potentially be a &#8220;hycean world&#8221; – covered by a liquid water ocean with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.
&#8220;The only scenario that currently explains all the data obtained so far is one where K2-18 b is a hycean world teeming with life,&#8221; Madhusudhan explained.
The research team&#8217;s detection involved analyzing starlight passing through K2-18 b&#8217;s atmosphere using Webb&#8217;s highly sensitive instruments.
The gases were detected at concentrations &#8220;thousands of times higher than their concentrations in the Earth&#8217;s atmosphere, and cannot be explained without biological activity based on existing knowledge,&#8221; according to Madhusudhan.
Christopher Glein, principal scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Texas, emphasized the need for caution when interpreting these results.
&#8220;The rich data from K2-18 b make it a tantalizing world,&#8221; said Glein. &#8220;Yet, we must be very careful to test the data as thoroughly as possible.&#8221;
To conclusively determine whether these gases indicate the presence of life, scientists plan to conduct additional observations.
&#8220;First we need to repeat the observations two to three times to make sure the signal we are seeing is robust and to increase the detection significance,&#8221; Madhusudhan explained, noting that researchers aim to reduce the odds of a statistical fluke to below one in a million.
This detection represents what Madhusudhan calls a &#8220;transformational moment&#8221; in our search for extraterrestrial life, moving humanity closer to answering whether we are alone in the universe – a question that has fascinated mankind for millennia.

Neptune Illustration

Scientists Report Strongest Evidence Yet For Possible Alien Life

Aliens

General

World

Model Emily Ratajkowski is still bashing the all-female space crew that included celebrities who have been dominating the headlines after their 11-minute mission to space.
Pop singer Katy Perry, CBS anchor Gayle King, and Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez were three of the women who flew to the edge of space on the Amazon founder’s Blue Origin spacecraft. Their flight is being touted as historic and important by many major outlets, but critics claim it’s nothing but average space tourism, which has been going on for decades. 
Ratajkowski made her feelings known during a TikTok <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@emrata/video/7493201498541772074">posted</a> Monday. 
“That space mission this morning, that’s end-time sh**. Like, this is beyond parody,” she said. “Saying that you care about Mother Earth, and it’s about Mother Earth, and going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that’s single-handedly destroying the planet? Look at the state of the world, and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space, and for what? For what, what was the marketing there? And then to try to make it like … I’m disgusted. Literally, I’m disgusted.”
The 33-year-old celebrity <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@emrata/video/7493531647028071726">followed up</a> with another social media video on Tuesday. “I think that this space mission is confusing to people because seeing women and people of color in spaces like science and politics that have not previously included them feels and looks like, really looks like — optically looks like — progress,” Ratajkowski, who identifies herself as a feminist, said. 
She continued, “But the truth is that having a man who has gained his power and become a part of the one percent purely through exploitation and greed deciding to take his fiancée and a few other famous women to space for space tourism is not progress.”
“It just speaks to the fact that we are absolutely living in an oligarchy, where there is a very small group of people who are interested in going to space for the sake of getting a new lease on life while the rest of the population — most people on Planet Earth — are worried about paying rent, or, you know, having dinner for their kids,” the model concluded.
She’s not the only one to question why so many are making such a big deal about the Blue Origin flight. Actress Olivia Munn<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/blue-origin-all-female-crew-including-katy-perry-launches-into-space"> said as much</a> on an episode of “Today with Jenna and Friends.”
“What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s a bit gluttonous,” Munn said. “Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”

Emily Ratajkowski

Model Emily Ratajkowski Mocks All-Female Space Ride: ‘Not An Accomplishment’

Model Emily Ratajkowski Mocks All-Female Space Ride: 'Not An Accomplishment'

Entertainment

U.S.

Pop singer Katie Perry, TV personality Gayle King, and several others were on board the first all-female flight to space in decades that blasted off and landed successfully on Monday morning.
The women on Blue Origin&#8217;s NS-31 mission took off from West Texas on a trip that lasted just over ten minutes. It was the first all-female space crew <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/04/14/nx-s1-5364460/blue-origin-launch-female-space-flight-katy-perry">since</a> Soviet-era cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who is also the first woman in space, orbited the Earth during a solo mission in 1963.
Besides Perry and King, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez, who is engaged to Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, comprised the NS-31 crew.
The flight briefly traveled above the Kármán Line, the internationally recognized boundary of space, about 62 miles above Earth&#8217;s surface.
Several famous faces were present at the launch event, including Perry’s daughter Daisy and her husband, actor Orlando Bloom. King’s best friend, Oprah Winfrey, showed up to watch, as did other celebs, including Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian.
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Welcome to West Texas, NS-31 crew! <a href="https://t.co/8dFPqiaiZW">pic.twitter.com/8dFPqiaiZW</a>
&mdash; Blue Origin (@blueorigin) <a href="https://twitter.com/blueorigin/status/1911216376334684513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The women did an <a href="https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a64341516/blue-origin-female-flight-crew-space-interview-2025/">interview</a> with Elle magazine before the launch during the first week of April. 
Perry insisted the event would be “glam,” while King said she was “terrified.” 
&#8220;I haven’t felt like this since childbirth, really,&#8221; said King.
The women have been getting some pushback from those asking the point of the mission. Actress Olivia Munn <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/olivia-munn-blasts-katy-perry-031544538.html">said as much</a> earlier this month on an episode of “Today with Jenna and Friends.”
“What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s a bit gluttonous,” Munn said. “Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”
&#8220;No offense, but they&#8217;re passengers, not crew and it&#8217;s a flight, not a mission. They have zero controls over the ship, just sit there, then float for a few minutes, then return. The whole thing is like 15 minutes. It&#8217;s publicity, at best,&#8221; one commenter on X <a href="https://x.com/derekahunter/status/1911422259018822070">noted</a>.
&#8220;Katy Perry and some other random women were just launched into space on a Blue Origin rocket for no reason other than to waste money and virtue signal about women. I’m all for venturing into space but this wasteful wokeness doesn’t help,&#8221; another <a href="https://x.com/Bubblebathgirl/status/1911778146988212241">agreed</a>.
Many others said there was nothing wrong with taking the flight if the people on board had the means and the interest.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t care that it was an all female crew, I care that they made it back successfully. That was pretty cool,&#8221; one person <a href="https://x.com/RealLifeFootage/status/1911776391605162189">said</a>.

Blue Origin All-Female Crew, Including Katy Perry, Launches Into Space

 Blue Origin All Female Crew, Including Katy Perry, Launches Into Space 

Air and Space

President Trump&#8217;s NASA administrator nominee, Jared Isaacman, vowed at his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday that America would dominate the new space race with China, with the agency focusing on simultaneous moon and Mars missions without requiring budget increases.
Isaacman <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/senate-committee/senate-commerce-committee-considers-nasa-and-fcc-nominations/658331">testified</a> in front of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, &amp; Transportation, and when asked by committee chair Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) about the practicality of simultaneous moon and Mars missions, he didn’t flinch.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think we have to make any tough trades here, Senator. I think if we can concentrate our resources at the world&#8217;s greatest space agency, we don&#8217;t have to make a binary decision of moon versus Mars or moon has to come first versus Mars,&#8221; Isaacman told the Senate Commerce Committee in response to questioning about NASA&#8217;s priorities.
&#8220;I think we can do the moon and Mars and beyond,&#8221; Isaacman said in response to similar questioning by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
The 42-year-old entrepreneur and astronaut delivered a stark warning about the growing competition with China in space, declaring that &#8220;space is the ultimate high ground. We cannot afford to cede that ground.&#8221;
When Senator Cruz displayed a poster depicting Chinese astronauts potentially beating Americans to the lunar surface, Isaacman confidently remarked, &#8220;Senator, I only see the left-hand portion of that poster,&#8221; referring to the part of the image showing American astronauts reaching the moon first.
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“Senator, I only see the left hand side of that poster” &#8211; absolute mic drop moment from <a href="https://twitter.com/rookisaacman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rookisaacman</a> at his confirmation hearing today to be the next <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA</a> Administrator! <a href="https://t.co/ylKYIuNBHX">pic.twitter.com/ylKYIuNBHX</a>
&mdash; Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) <a href="https://twitter.com/Erdayastronaut/status/1909989209349255474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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If confirmed, Isaacman would bring significant private sector and spaceflight experience to NASA, having commanded and even personally funded multiple space missions, including Polaris Dawn in 2024, which featured the first commercial spacewalk by a civilian astronaut.
When pressed by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) on whether the space agency could simultaneously pursue multiple ambitious goals given possible DOGE budget cuts, Isaacman insisted that NASA &#8220;was built to do the near impossible&#8221; and reminded Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) that NASA already has “a pretty extraordinary budget … it&#8217;s close to every federal law enforcement agency combined times two.”
Isaacman faced multiple questions about his relationship with SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who has been a key ally to the Trump administration. &#8220;my loyalty is to this nation, the space agency, and their world-changing mission,&#8221; Isaacman stated unequivocally in response to the Michigan Senator&#8217;s inquiry, &#8220;NASA is the customer. [SpaceX/Contractors] work for us, not the other way around.&#8221;
The nominee outlined an ambitious vision for America&#8217;s space agency beyond just moon and Mars missions, with his priorities including making NASA financially self-sustaining, investing in nuclear propulsion technology, recruiting top scientific talent, using social media to inspire young Americans about space exploration, and expanding deep space science missions with more probes, rovers, and telescopes.
The renewed focus on space exploration comes as China has rapidly <a href="https://www.space.com/china-moon-base-south-pole-2035">advanced</a> its own ambitions, recently announcing plans to establish a permanent lunar base by 2035. Beijing&#8217;s space program has seen unprecedented growth over the past decade, with successful missions to the far side of the moon and the deployment of its own space station. National security experts have increasingly warned that allowing China to establish dominance in space could threaten American technological superiority and military capabilities.
Isaacman, who founded payment processing company Shift4 Payments and has personally flown to space as commander of the all-civilian Inspiration4 mission, outlined specific strategies to make NASA financially self-sustaining. He emphasized the need to &#8220;unlock the true economic potential of space&#8221; by developing stronger partnerships between the agency, academic institutions, and private industry.
Isaacman concluded his testimony by reiterating his commitment to American leadership in space. &#8220;We will do this not just to expand our knowledge or strengthen our national security, but to improve all life on Earth and inspire the next generation to reach even further,&#8221; he said.
Trump announced Isaacman’s nomination in December 2024: “Over the past 25 years, as the Founder and CEO of Shift4, Jared has demonstrated exceptional leadership, building a trailblazing global financial technology company. He also co-founded and served as CEO of Draken International, a defense aerospace company, for over a decade, supporting the U.S. Department of Defense, and our Allies.&#8221;
“Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113595378122687080">said</a> on Truth Social.

Jared Isaacman Testifies In His Senate Nomination Hearing To Be NASA Administrator

‘Moon, Mars, And Beyond’: Trump’s NASA Pick Promises American Dominance In New Space Race

Senate

Trump Administration

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams thanked President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in their first interview since being rescued after spending nine months stranded on the international Space Station.
The pair were rescued by a SpaceX crew on March 18 after a problem with their Boeing Starliner turned their week-long planned mission into a nine-month extended stay — and they spoke about their experience during a Monday interview on &#8220;America&#8217;s Newsroom&#8221; with Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer.
Noting that the rescue mission — which Elon Musk had offered to undertake last year, but was reportedly shut down by President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration — had been a priority for both Musk and President Trump, Hemmer asked, &#8220;What would you like to say to President Trump and Elon Musk?&#8221;
WATCH:
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One of the astronauts who was stranded in space for nearly nine months says President Trump and <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> have &quot;earned his trust,&quot; adding their leadership has been &quot;strengthening for our nation.&quot; | <a href="https://twitter.com/BillHemmer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BillHemmer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AmericaNewsroom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmericaNewsroom</a> <a href="https://t.co/5CmHRzzHKw">pic.twitter.com/5CmHRzzHKw</a>
&mdash; Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1906737803032985786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I respect you. I trust you. You’ve given me no reason not to trust you, either one of them. What they say, I can’t say what they say. I haven’t lived that. But I have no reason not to believe anything they say because they’ve earned my trust,&#8221; Wilmore said. &#8220;And for that, I am grateful that our national leaders actually are coming in and taking part in our human spaceflight program, which we see is hugely important global significance and they take an active role and based on the past and what we see now with them doing that it’s refreshing – not just refreshing – it’s empowering.&#8221;
&#8220;It’s strengthening for our nation, I think it’s a good thing for our nation when the national leaders, especially something that’s high visibility, are involved in the process and I’m grateful for that,&#8221; he added.
Williams also responded to the question, saying that she, too, was grateful that Trump and Musk had made their safe return to earth a priority.
&#8220;I’m just glad that they’re involved and they take notice. And, our situation, I think I mentioned before, maybe wasn’t the perfect situation, but allowed a lot of people, including the President and Elon, to look at what’s going on on the International Space Station, take it very seriously and understand that our involvement as a country, as a spacefaring nation, is really important throughout the world,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And it sets an example and it shows, you know, our ability to be able to do the hard things, put people in space, operate in space work in space and then bring us back. It’s important and I appreciate that them and many, many, many more people took notice of it.&#8221;

US-SPACE-SPACEX-CREW 9

Rescued Astronaut Praises Trump, Musk: ‘They’ve Earned My Trust’

Rescued Astronaut Praises Trump, Musk: 'They've Earned My Trust'

International Space Station (ISS)

President Donald Trump said Friday that he would personally cover overtime pay for two NASA astronauts stuck at the International Space Station for more than nine months.
Trump made the comments in the Oval Office after a reporter asked him about the fact that astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry &#8220;Butch&#8221; Wilmore would <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/nasa-astronauts-only-get-five-dollars-top-salary-stuck-space-2047544" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only</a> receive about five dollars per day for every day they were stranded in space. The NASA astronauts were supposed to only be gone for an eight-day mission but ended up being there for 286 days after the Boeing spacecraft that was supposed to pick them up malfunctioned. 
“Well, nobody has ever mentioned this to me,” Trump told Fox News reporter Peter Doocy. “If I have to, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket, Okay? I’ll get it for them.&#8221;
Williams and Wilmore <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/us/nasa-astronauts-overtime.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are</a> only entitled to around $1400 for the extra time they spent in space.
“Is that all? That’s not a lot for what they had to go through. And I want to thank (SpaceX CEO) Elon Musk,” Trump added. “Think if we don’t have him. You know, there’s only so long, even though they’re in the capsule up there, the body starts to deteriorate after nine or ten months, and gets really bad after 14, 15 months, with the bones and the blood and all the things that you’ve been reporting on very well.&#8221;
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“If I have to, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket.”
Trump offers to pay for the overtime of the two rescued astronauts, who apparently received just $5 per day in per diem for their extra time. <a href="https://t.co/3mYY3aS07f">pic.twitter.com/3mYY3aS07f</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1903122422867296525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;And if we don’t have Elon, they could be up there a long time, who else is going to get them? And I just want to thank him, he’s going through a lot,&#8221; Trump said, referencing the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nothing-short-of-domestic-terrorism-ag-bondi-issues-statement-after-violent-attacks-on-tesla" target="_blank" rel="noopener">uptick</a> in acts of vandalism and violence directed at Tesla properties. 
Williams and Wilmore <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/promise-made-promise-kept-astronauts-stranded-during-biden-admin-finally-head-back-to-earth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made it back</a> to Earth on Tuesday after Musk sent a SpaceX Dragon capsule to pick them up. That came after Trump asked Musk in January to “go get” the astronauts after he said they had been “virtually abandoned in space by the Biden administration.”
Musk claimed in February that he had offered to bring the astronauts home early “months ago” but that the Biden administration “refused,” delaying their return for “political reasons,” which NASA officials have denied.

White House Set To Announce Contractor For Next-Gen Fighter Jet

‘Out Of My Own Pocket’: Trump Offers To Cover Overtime For Stranded Astronauts

Blue Origin’s next mission to space will be solely composed of women, including multiple celebrities.
CBS News journalist Gayle King, recording artist Katy Perry, and pilot Lauren Sánchez, who is engaged to Amazon founder and Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos, will be part of the six person crew. Bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen will also be part of the group, along with former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe film producer Kerianne Flynn.
King <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRx-WG2BCLo">reacted</a> to the announcement this morning, telling her co-hosts that she’s “so afraid,” but also &#8220;so excited about it.&#8221;
She went on to say she never dreamed of going to space, but eventually her kids and her friend Oprah Winfrey helped change her mind. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know how to explain being terrified and excited at the same time,&#8221; King said of the upcoming mission. &#8220;It&#8217;s like how I felt about to deliver a baby.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-ns-31-mission">announcement</a> on the company’s webpage noted that Sánchez “is honored to lead a team of explorers on a mission that will challenge their perspectives of Earth, empower them to share their own stories, and create lasting impact that will inspire generations to come.”
&#8220;This mission will be the 11th human flight for the New Shepard program and the 31st in its history,&#8221; Blue Origin stated. &#8220;To date, the program has flown 52 people above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. This is the first all-female flight crew since Valentina Tereshkova’s solo spaceflight in 1963.&#8221;
Blue Origin did not yet announce the date of the flight.
Reactions on social media have been mixed, with many questioning Kate Perry being added to the flight crew especially.
“Heavy sigh,” one comment says.
“And I’m out. Peace,” another person wrote.
“lauren sanchez&#8217;s space suit gonna be interesting,” a third person commented, referencing the revealing outfit Sanchez wore to President Trump’s inauguration ceremony.
“Talk about equality! Why aren&#8217;t some people from disenfranchised communities allowed to experience this like the wealthy can?” another commenter said.
“Keep that dei alive,” another person reacted.

Katy Perry, Gayle King Announce They’re Joining All-Woman Space Flight

Katy Perry, Gayle King Announce They're Joining All-Woman Space Flight

The chances of a building-sized asteroid hitting the Earth in the next decade has risen in small increments multiple times since it was first detected months ago.
AFP <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250218-city-killer-asteroid-now-has-3-1-chance-of-hitting-earth-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Tuesday that new data from NASA gave the asteroid known as 2024 YR4 a 3.1 percent chance of striking the planet in December 2032.
It was only last week that NASA was saying there was a 2.3% chance the asteroid would slam into the Earth, up from a 1.2% estimation in late January, <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250218-city-killer-asteroid-now-has-3-1-chance-of-hitting-earth-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per</a> NBC News.
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While still an extremely low possibility, asteroid 2024 YR4&#39;s impact probability with Earth has increased from about 1% to a 2.3% chance on Dec. 22, 2032. As we observe the asteroid more, the impact probability will become better known. More: <a href="https://t.co/VWiASTMBDi">https://t.co/VWiASTMBDi</a> <a href="https://t.co/Z1mpb4UPaC">pic.twitter.com/Z1mpb4UPaC</a>
&mdash; NASA Asteroid Watch (@AsteroidWatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/AsteroidWatch/status/1887962600148988215?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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NASA <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/2024-yr4/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> 2024 YR4 is believed to be roughly 130-300 feet wide, large enough to &#8220;cause localized damage in the unlikely event that it should impact Earth.&#8221;
Media reports have been published over the past week branding the asteroid, which was first detected by a station in Chile last December, as a potential &#8220;city killer.&#8221;
However, Royal Astronomical Society Deputy Executive Director Robert Massey <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/nasa-city-killer-asteroid-update-earth-collision-2032546" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Newsweek that he is &#8220;not really concerned at all&#8221; about 2024 YR4.
&#8220;It&#8217;s the kind of thing that should concern policymakers and astronomers, particularly, whose job it is to track these things and refine orbits,&#8221; Massey said.
He added, &#8220;The odds are very, very low and as observations get better, it&#8217;s very likely that the probability will drop to zero, so I don&#8217;t think the public should be unduly concerned.&#8221;
Ground-based telescopes will continue observations &#8220;while the asteroid is still visible through April, after which it will be too faint to observe until around June 2028,&#8221; NASA says.
The agency says its James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021 and <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">orbiting</a> the Sun a million miles away, &#8220;will also observe the asteroid in March 2025 to better assess the asteroid’s size.&#8221;
With more study, NASA notes it is possible 2024 YR4 will be &#8220;ruled out as an impact hazard&#8221; like other objects that previously appeared on its asteroid risk list, or the probability will rise.
Humanity has been working on ways to stave off asteroids to avoid devastating impacts, such as the Tunguska event in which one <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/history/115-years-ago-the-tunguska-asteroid-impact-event/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exploded</a> over Siberia in 1908.
In 2022, NASA <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nasas-test-crash-into-asteroid-was-25x-more-successful-than-benchmark-objective" target="_blank" rel="noopener">conducted</a> a test in which it directed a spacecraft to crash into a target asteroid, Didymos. A data analysis showed the kinetic impact successfully altered its orbit.

Perseid Shooting Star Shower In The Alps

Odds Of Asteroid Hitting Earth In 2032 Keep Ticking Up

Asteroid

Natural Disaster

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