Female astronaut reveals extreme measures she had to take before controversial 2,300mph Blue Origin launch in to space
Topics: Space, Science, Technology, Blue Origin
Ellie Kemp
Featured Image Credit: Emily Calandrelli/YouTube
Topics: Space, Science, Technology, Blue Origin
Emily Callandrelli, the astronaut who becomes the 100th woman to go to space, revealed the extreme measures she had to take before making the historic flight.
The aerospace engineer was one of six people on-board Blue Origin's ninth human test flight last November, launching 62 miles away from Earth at a hair-raising 2,300mph in a New Shepard spacecraft.
But, when the Jeff Bezos-owned company shared footage of Calandrelli during the mission, her milestone was marred by sexists online who instead made demeaning comments about women in space.
Blue Origin was forced to delete the post, but Calandrelli has since uploaded the footage to YouTube, as part of a 16-minute long vlog detailing her incredible feat.
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Titled 'My Blue Origin Flight to Space,' Calandrelli shares details from the run-up to the big day, to the height of the flight and the moment she lands back on Earth.
In the vlog, she shared details of the measures she and the other astronauts had to take to prepare for their once-in-a-lifetime journey.
On the first day of training before the launch, from Launch Site One in West Texas, they visited a mock-up of the New Shepard capsule for a very important reason.
Not only did it give the astronauts a 'feel' for being in the spacecraft, Calandrelli says in the video, but it also meant they could get their seats custom-fitted.
Calandrelli explains: "These must fit perfectly because in an emergency scenario the capsule can be ejected away from the rocket so quickly that your body will experience 15 G forces, which wouldn't feel great if your seat wasn't perfectly positioned beneath you."
The team also practiced getting in and out of their 'five point' harnesses seamlessly, because 'the few minutes of weightlessness that we have in space at apogee are so precious and we do not want to be fiddling with our harnesses', Calandrelli adds.
The MIT engineer also explained how she flew with plant seeds in an effort to see if space flight impacts their growth on a molecular level.
She also talked viewers through her 'bio button,' which took her vitals throughout both the training and space flight to help understand the science behind what what space flight does to the human body.
On their last day of training before the big day, the astronauts headed to the launchpad to watch as the rocket they'd be taking off in was rolled out.
They wrapped up their day with 'a few last mission scenarios' back in their New Shepard simulator.
Giving viewers a tour of the capsule, Calandrelli explained: "Every passenger has their own window and I am in seat number six.
"This is one of the emergency seats; it's like the emergency exit on an airplane.
"We're responsible for the fire suppression system, so if we were to see the fire indicator here I would be responsible for pressing this button."
Fortunately, no emergency buttons needed to be pressed during their mission; in fact, it was a major success.
In space - and the footage deleted by Blue Origin - Calandrelli was suspended upside down as she gasped in awe at seeing Earth from space.
She compared the experience to motherhood, adding: "I didn’t expect to see so much space, and I kept saying that’s our planet! That’s our planet!
"It was the same feeling I got when my kids were born, and I was like, 'That’s my baby!'"