Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez were launched into space by Blue Origin, and the short trip inspired many memes, along with criticism.
Singer Katy Perry and morning TV host Gayle King took a very brief trip into space—while many were disappointed by the length of the trip, the internet did not disappoint with the resulting explosion of memes.
The all-female crew also included scientists Amanda Nguyen and Aisha Bowe, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and Jeff Bezos’ fiancée, Lauren Sanchez.
The flight was manned by Blue Origin, the space tourism business founded by Jeff Bezos.
This isn’t the first headline-grabbing publicity stunt from Blue Origin—the company previously launched Star Trek icon William Shatner into space, which gave the actor something of an existential crisis.
Later, Shatner wrote about how his experience highlighted the fragility of life on Earth and the vital importance of environmentalism, describing his space trip as invoking the “strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered.”
Blue Origin’s all-female launch was a little more lighthearted, sparking many viral moments, but the space trip proved controversial with critics.
