Are They Astronauts?

And Why This Debate is a Sign of Good Things

Looking for psychological military science fiction? Read about the adventure of veteran Brendan Murphy as he tries to keep peace between Earth and a mysterious alien race known as the Sabia. Read my Fallen series today! Please remember to leave a review once you are done. Reviews are the lifeblood of independent creators.

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So Six Women Went Up…

Photo from Blue Origin

On April 14, 2025, six women on Blue Origin NS-31 went up and came back down on the space capsule RSS Karman Line. They were Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, Amanda Nguyen, Aisha Bowe, Gayle King, and Lauren Sanchez. Like other Blue Origin flights, it was a quick ride that lasted about 10 minutes. However, a media controversy over the flight joined with pre-existing debates. The crucial question was, "Are they astronauts?"

A quick look at the debate answers that question, but what I think is more revealing is what this all means. Space is becoming mundane, and that is a wonderful thing.

First, Did They Go Into Space?

Ignoring the outright crazy conspiracy theories stating the women never left Earth, there were those who claimed that since the flight was sub-orbital, meaning that continued flight on the path would have them hit the body they lifted off of, the women didn’t go into space. However, sub-orbital means nothing in terms of space. Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles have sub-orbital flights because they are designed to hit another target on the Earth. ICBMs’ apogee is well above 621 miles/1,000 kilometers. That’s well into space yet the path is still suborbital.

So what is space? There is no firm end to the atmosphere and beginning of the heavens. The International Astronomical Union, European Space Agency, and Astronomy magazine all recognize the Karman Line of 100 kilometers/62.1 miles as the start of space, as 99.99997 of Earth’s atmosphere is below this line. Most universities and astronomers also use the Karman Line as the accepted start of space. Interestingly, the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has the Commercial Human Space Flight Recognition web page that recognizes anyone on a “FAA-licensed launch or reentry vehicle and reaches 50 statute miles above the surface of the Earth." That gives spaceflight recognition at 50 miles/80.4 kilometers.

Since NS-31 went up to 66 miles/106 kilometers, those onboard went into space by almost all definitions.

So What’s an Astronaut

This is where the debate sets in. Take a look at more historical definitions and modern ones of what an astronaut is.

First, the historical definitions:

• American Heritage Dictionary (1982): A person trained to pilot, navigate, or otherwise participate as a crew member of a spacecraft.

• Funk & Wagnalls Canadian College Dictionary (1989): One who travels in space.

• Houghton Mifflin College Dictionary (1986): One trained to pilot, navigate, or otherwise take part in the flight of a spacecraft.

• McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms (2006): In United States terminology, a person who rides in a space vehicle.

• Marriam-Webster (1963): A traveler in interplanetary space

• Merriam-Webster (1985): A person who travels beyond the earth’s atmosphere.

• Merriam-Webster (1993): A person engaged in or trained for spaceflight.

• Oxford Illustrated Dictionary (1962): One who travels in space.

• Oxford American Dictionary (1980): A person trained to travel in space.

• Random House College Dictionary (1975): A person engaged in or trained for spaceflight.

• Webster's College Dictionary (2003): A traveler in a spacecraft.

Now check out the definitions of astronaut available online now.

• American Heritage Dictionary: A person trained to pilot, navigate, or otherwise participate as a crew member of a spacecraft.

• Cambridge Dictionary: A person who has been trained for travelling in space.

• Encyclopedia Britannica: …commonly applied to an individual who has flown in outer space. More specifically, in the West, astronaut refers to those from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan who travel into space.

• Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English: Someone who travels and works in a spacecraft.

• Merriam-Webster: 1) a person whose profession is to travel beyond the earth's atmosphere, 2) broadly : any person who travels beyond the earth's atmosphere.

• Oxford English Dictionary: person who travels in space; esp. a person who is (or has been) a crew member on board a spacecraft or on a space mission; (occasionally) an expert in astronautics.

• Vocabulary.com: An astronaut is someone who travels in space. While the term was once reserved for military-trained professionals, recent accessibility of space travel has seen the term astronaut now used to refer to anyone traveling in a spacecraft, including civilians.

• Wikipedia: A person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spacecraft. Although generally reserved for professional space travelers, the term is sometimes applied to anyone who travels into space, including scientists, politicians, journalists, and space tourists.

• Wiktionary: A member of the crew of a spaceship or other spacecraft that travels beyond Earth's atmosphere, or someone trained to serve that purpose.

There is a subtle shift in some definitions that now emphasize the need for those to be part of a working crew, though this isn’t universal. The women received minimal training for their space flight but non-the-less they did get training. By many definitions, past and present, those onboard NS-31 are astronauts.

So What’s the Controversy About

The controversy about this revolves around three things: the meaning behind the word astronaut, the nature of the flight, and the culture wars America is going through.

But What *Is* an Astronaut?

Some believe calling these women in particular and space tourists in general “astronauts” demeans what society envisions astronauts to be. These people view the brave pilots and spacewalkers leagues above space tourists. They compare those who were in space for ten minutes to Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, who did work outside the International Space Station (ISS) for over six hours, and Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who were stranded on the ISS for over nine months.

I understand this thinking. However, in the past, not all astronauts had crew duties. Astronaut Charles Walker role was to conduct scientific experiments not related to the flight itself. No one had an issue with him being called an astronaut.

It reminds me of the word “soldier,” which is used to describe any uniformed member of the United States Army. When one says the word soldier, another may envision an infantryman slugging a rifle and living in harsh conditions. However, only a minority of soldiers are in the infantry. There are people who will never be in a combat zone who are soldiers. Those include members of the United States Army Band, including the Blues Band, and Army Choir. They will never see combat, but they are soldiers and get veteran status when they leave. Meanwhile, some Army government civilians and contractors have participated in multiple firefights, yet they are not considered soldiers. These non-uniformed members do not even qualify for things like the Purple Heart if wounded.

Maybe a new term is needed, like how the word “aeronaut” (someone who travels in a flying vehicle) was abandoned after passenger flights became common. We don’t think characters on Star Trek or other space science fiction shows as astronauts, perhaps this shows our future will evolve past the term.

The Gimmick

Was NS-31 a gimmick to get attention? You bet it was. Blue Origin badly needed to generate interest to compete with SpaceX. Because Blue Origin was and still remains so far behind, it resorted to space tourism to generate money and press. In a sense, being corporate propaganda was the women’s crew role on the flight.

The gimmicky nature of NS-31 is a good thing. Like the early balloon and powered flight eras, we are in an age of showmanship and barnstorming. This is awesome. Events like this can inspire people to study and join efforts to advance humanity in space. So, even if it was a vanity trip for the owner’s wife and her friends, much good can come out of it.

The Culture War

This part is a debate of stupidity. There are some people who are mocking the women for their outfits. Hey, if you are going into space, you might as well look good. Others view the NS-31 astronauts as banners for liberalism, while Blue Origin’s target of envy is SpaceX, which is commonly associated with Elon Musk and therefore Donald Trump. Additionally, like everything nowadays, conspiracy grifters with millions of followers have latched onto this to push a narrative that this was a satanic event.

Politics in domestic space development is stupid. I want all sides to develop and challenge each other. That’s how we will advance into space faster. Finally, some people are jumping on statements from Katy Perry saying she felt connected to the “divine feminine” and how she realized in space we need to protect our mother (Earth). Sure, she has New Age beliefs I don’t share which she channeled her thoughts about the awesomeness of seeing Earth from space, but others have unfairly used this criticism to badmouth the whole NS-31 flight.

Why This Controversy is Good Omen

The culture war components of the controversy are irrelevant, but the argument over the definition of an astronaut is a good sign about the state of things. More and more people are traveling past the Karman Line, and governments are having less and less a say on who goes into space. With suborbital flights across the globe envisioned soon, space flight for cargo and as a replacement for long distance flying will be a thing. We are unlocking space, making it mundane. As we go to the Moon and set up long term stays there, humanity’s advancement into the heavens will gain a more permanent hold. This is great for all mankind.

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Until Next Time

Next time we will have an author’s roundtable talking about the intersection science fiction, independent authorship, and Catholicism. Later, we will have a look back at the last pulp science fiction: Stargate.

As always, please leave a comment with any questions, reviews, thoughts, whatever about Fallen, Risen, Dormition, An Odd Pilgrimage, The Savannah Paranormal Detective Agency or whatever else I have discussed. I promise to reply!