The world watched on April 14 as Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sanchez, Amanda Nguyen, Aisha Bowe, and Kerianne Flynn became the first all-female Blue Origin crew to blast into space. In only 11 minutes, the flight changed perspectives for many of them and brought together an unlikely group of powerhouse women. When they left the New Shepard capsule hatch after the flight, they struggled to find the words to describe the powerful emotions running through them. King, afraid even to fly, realizes what a success story she is.
She Overcame Her Fear of Flying to Launch Into Space
“I am still floating; I can’t believe it! I cannot believe it!” Gayle King exclaimed on the X livestream after returning to Earth. When she’s told she’s now an astronaut, King says she “still can’t accept that word. But I will say, I can’t even believe what I saw. When somebody calls this a ride, this was not a ride. What happened to us was not a ride. This was a bonafide, frickin’ flight.”
King felt that the crew was so lucky to have so many people ensuring their flight was successful. “We were so well-prepared,” she said. “So every noise we heard, we knew. But the flight instructor said that I am her best success story. Why? Because she’s never had somebody go through the course who’s terrified of flying.”
I’m so proud of me right now,” she continued, her voice cracking with emotion. I just can’t believe it.”
She acknowledged how far out of her comfort zone she went by doing this, remarking at one point that “I may even get my ears pierced. I’ve always been afraid.”
King Reflects on the ‘Peace’ She Found in Space
“It’s oddly quiet when you get up there. It’s really quiet and peaceful,” King said about the best part of being in space. “And you look down on the planet, and you think, ‘that’s where we came from?’ To me, it’s such a reminder of how we need to do better, be better.”
She went on to explain that people have become too jaded and less empathetic to others. If everyone could see that we’re just a small part of this world, maybe people would change.
“Do better, be better human beings. It’s so nasty and so virtiolic nowadays. If everybody could experience that peace that we had up there, and the kindness. And what it takes to do what we did. All the people it took to get us up there and get us back safely. I’ll never, ever, ever forget.”
“I would say that we all are forever bonded because you can’t go through what we went through, to look out for each other and to help each other, and not be changed by that. “It really is a true sisterhood,” she added.