Emily Calandrelli has issued a response to the “small men on the internet” who belittled and sexualized her after she became the 100th woman to go to space.
The female astronaut and MIT engineer joined Jeff Bezos’s aerospace company Blue Origin on their ninth human rocket mission to fly past the Kármán line — a boundary that separates Earth’s atmosphere from outer space — and back down in minutes. Calandrelli was one of six other tourists to take flight including Austin Litteral, Henry Wolfond, James (J.D.) Russell, Sharon Hagle, and Marc Hagle.
In footage shared by Blue Origin, Calandrelli can be seen looking out the rocket window as she says, “Oh my god, this is space.” She then compared seeing Earth from above to becoming a mother.
“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,” Calandrelli said. “And I was like, ‘That’s my baby! That’s my baby!’ I had that same feeling where I’m seeing it for the first time, and it was beautiful.”
Blue Origin posted Calandrelli’s raw reaction to their Instagram account, prompting many congratulatory comments and numerous negative remarks from trolls.
“She has been dreaming of this all her life. Made me cry happy tears for her. Congratulations @thespacegirl for achieving your dream,” a kind follower remarked.
Meanwhile, one X/Twitter user commented on her announcement: “It’s not an achievement being a woman.”
“Would you consider yourself the hottest woman to ever go to space? Any other contenders?” one man asked, while another said: “It was just a glorified roller coaster. You ain’t no astronaut.”
The company has since deleted the original video due to the volume of crude remarks and reposted an edited version.
Calandrelli later took to her own Instagram account, @thespacegal, to clap back at the “hoards of men” who came after her.
Next to a picture of her after the rocket landing, she wrote: “This all happened as I was flying home after experiencing the most perfect, wonderful dream-achieving experience of my life.
“And instead of being on cloud nine, I’m crying in my seat staring out the window. Because of course this happened. Of course I should have expected this,” she continued. “I spent the flight texting my space sisters for advice.
“To share anger and sadness and to receive validation that I have nothing to be embarrassed of. I had to take a moment to feminism myself if I’m being quite honest.
“But I refuse to give much time to the small men on the internet. I feel experiences in my soul. It’s a trait I got from my father. We feel every emotion deeply and what a beautiful way that is to experience life. This joy is tattooed on my heart.
“I will not apologize or feel weird about my reaction. It’s wholly mine and I love it. When I can, I’ll reshare it myself with all of you,” Calandrelli went on to say.
She finished: “As I left the flight, the Southwest stewardess who recognized me, and I suspect could see that I had been crying, whispered as I walked off the plane ‘don’t let them dull your shine.’ And I felt an immediate sense of camaraderie with her, with all women. I love you all.”
