Blue Origin’s recent all-women spaceflight, which included pop star Katy Perry among its crew, has sparked controversy among conspiracy theorists. The skepticism centers around a particular image that has led many to question the mission’s authenticity.
On April 14, Blue Origin successfully launched its rocket from Launch Site One in West Texas at 9:30 am ET. The mission marked a significant milestone as it was the first all-female crewed spaceflight since 1963 when Valentina Tereshkova orbited Earth for the Soviet Union.
The crew consisted of six women, including author and journalist Lauren Sánchez, who is engaged to Blue Origin’s founder Jeff Bezos, alongside singer Katy Perry. Despite the extensive footage and documentation available from the event, some remain unconvinced of its legitimacy.
Social media platforms have been buzzing with claims of deception, with one image in particular raising eyebrows. A Twitter user posted a photo showing a Blue Origin capsule with someone appearing to sit inside, dressed in a blue jumpsuit.
The user questioned, “Something is definitely wrong with the Blue Origin ‘Space Flight’… that Katy Perry was on. Social media users are asking, where are the re-entry burn marks? And why does that look like a fake hand? lol this world is so crazy.”
Another commenter echoed the sentiment, noting, “That sure looks like a mannequin, shiny hand and if this capsule just came from space, wouldn’t it be burnt coming back into the atmosphere?”
While the hand in the image is indeed from a mannequin, this particular photograph is not from the recent all-women mission. It actually dates back to a 2017 Blue Origin flight, as reported by Space.com at the time.
In 2017, Blue Origin conducted a test flight of its New Shepard Crew Capsule from West Texas, which included a dummy named ‘Mannequin Skywalker.’ Images and footage of the mannequin were widely shared from that mission.
It appears the conspiracy theorists have been misled by an older image. Better luck next time in separating fact from fiction.