On November 22, Emily joined six other people with Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company Blue Origin as they flew above the Earth’s atmosphere forspace tourism.
HighlightsEmily Calandrelli became the 100th woman in space with Blue Origin.Social media response included both praise and online trolling.Emily refuses to apologize for her emotional reaction in space.
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Image credits:blueorigin
In a live stream, the author and astronaut could be seen in complete awe, exclaiming, “Oh my God, this is space.”
Emily Calandrelli was met with online trolls after she had an emotional response to being the 100th woman to fly to space
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While many rallied their support on social media, calling Emily an “inspiration” and a hero, especially for women, she said there were a few men who tried to ruin an experience that brought “the most life-altering spectacular joy and awe.”
“I refuse to give much time to the small men on the internet. I feel experiences in my soul,” she said.
“I will not apologize or feel weird about my reaction. It’s wholly mine and I love it.”
As she got off theflight, a Southwest flight attendant recognized her and offered some advice, whispering, “Don’t ever let them dull your shine.”
“I felt an immediate sense of camaraderie with her, with all the women,” Emily said.
Emily’s representative toldCNNthat she’d much rather focus on what the milestone meant for the future, rather than the unexpected hate it’s received.
The mission, while fairly simple, was an unreal experience for Emily
The launch this past Friday had a simple goal: fly above the Kármán line—the boundary separating Earth’s atmosphere from outerspace—for a couple of minutes, before landing back on the ground.
And Emily had nothing but good things to say about the journey.
“I immediately turned upside down and looked at the planet and then there was so much space, and I kept saying, like, ‘that’s our planet!’”
Image credits:thespacegal
As amother, it reminded her of her children.
“It was the same feeling I got when my kids were born where I’m like, seeing it for the first time.”
Also aboard the rocket were Sharon Hagle, Marc Hagle, Austin Litteral, James (J.D.) Russell, and Henry (Hank) Wolfond.
It seems Emily’s mission touched many viewers, despite the online trolls.
“I watched many times just to see your reaction, because it brought me so much joy,” one user gushed. “It made me feel like I achieved something great with you. You deserve better, women deserve better. You are so loved!!”
Another commented on the expectations of women, saying, “So insane. Women are always expected to suppress our emotions.”
“Joy is the most radical form of rebellion,” a third stated. “We love you! You pushed history forward for all women. We love your joy.”
The first woman to travel to space came just two years after Yuri Gagarin’s massive accomplishment
On June 16, 1963,Valentina Tereshkovalaunched into the great beyond aboard the Vostok 6 spacecraft, making her the first woman to ever achieve the milestone.
The flight lasted approximately 70 hours, as she orbited theEarth48 times.
This journey made the impossible possible — and 20 years later, Astronaut Sally K. Ride became the first American woman to go into space in June 1983.
Users on TikTok called Emily a “legend” for breaking barriers
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