018 | You Call Yourself an Astronaut?
There is a difference between getting a title and earning it, that being the time and effort spent along the way. Recently, billionaires Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson effectively went up to space, and some are calling them astronauts. It appears we’ve arrived at a point in time when people can simply buy their way into a rocketship. Understandably, NASA has had to revisit the definition of the term “astronaut” in the face of this dilemma.
In this episode, I share my thoughts on the word “astronaut” and the different hurdles we had to jump over to earn this title. I discuss recent events involving billionaires having the resources to buy their way into space as well as why it hurt my pride when they felt entitled to call themselves astronauts. I explain what the standards were back in the day and why our society is slowly discounting expertise when it comes to titles and roles.
"It puts me on edge to think that someone can just write a big check and go 'buy' the same title I had to earn."
- Kathy Sullivan
This week on Kathy Sullivan Explores:
What it means to be an astronaut
Who can be called an astronaut within NASA’s new standards
How I feel about how billionaires buying the title of "astronaut"
The definition of “astronaut” back when I was training to be one
What we should call Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson
Disregarding expertise in this era
Resources Mentioned:
Spaceship Not Required
I’m Kathy Sullivan, the only person to have walked in space and gone to the deepest point in the ocean.
I’m an explorer, and that doesn’t always have to involve going to some remote or exotic place. It simply requires a commitment to put curiosity into action.
In this podcast, you can explore, reflecting on lessons learned from life so far and from my brilliant and ever-inquisitive guests. We explore together in this very moment from right where you are… spaceship not required.
Welcome to Kathy Sullivan Explores.