US Aviation Administration denies Bezos and Branson the title of astronaut
Not an astronaut? Jeff Bezos in front of his rocket. (Photo: Blue Origin)
Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson should call themselves astronauts from the altitude they reached. The US aviation authority denied them the title – because of new rules.
Two billionaires went on a short trip into space in the past two weeks. One, British entrepreneur and billionaire Richard Branson, reached an altitude of 86 kilometers. US billionaire and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos even flew 106 kilometers up in his capsule. Since a height of 80 kilometers was sufficient for the title of (commercial) astronaut, Bezos and Branson could each call themselves an astronaut – actually.
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Astronaut title: FAA tightens rules
As the BBC reports, the US Aviation Administration (FAA) now has the conditions changedthat you have to fulfill in order to be called an astronaut: in. Accordingly, both the two billionaires and possible passengers of the planned space tourism offers would not be astronauts in the sense of the FAA. According to the new rules, candidates for the astronaut title would have to be part of the crew and also contribute to the safety of flights into space.
Neither applies to Bezos and Branson, nor to possible future space tourists. In the case of Bezos and its space program, the chances are likely to be even smaller. Because Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith had emphasized before the start of Bezos and his three fellow passengers last week that there was “really nothing to do” for the crew members in the autonomously flying rocket / capsule.
Bezos and Branson as honorary astronauts?
However, as part of the FAA’s so-called Wings program, through which the title is awarded for commercial flights, possible candidates for the honor would have to be proposed in advance. Currently, according to the FAA, there are no such proposals to review. In addition to the Wings program, there is the opportunity to earn the title of astronaut: in, also with NASA and the military. But there is still a ray of hope for Bezos and Branson: a kind of honorary astronaut title that the FAA could award.
