ONTARIO, Calif. (AP) — After a protracted day of rehearsing for her upcoming world tour, Katy Perry determined to peruse a number of books to assist her unwind earlier than mattress.
“I was listening to ‘Cosmos’ by Carl Sagan and reading a book on string theory,” she recalled. “I’ve always been interested in astrophysics and interested in astronomy and astrology and the stars. We are all made of stardust and we all come from the stars.”
However the pop celebrity was motivated by extra than simply curiosity. On Monday, she’s going to be part of Jeff Bezos’ fiancee Lauren Sanchez, journalist Gayle King and three different ladies on an all-female Blue Origin spaceflight. Perry spoke with The Related Press at her Southern California rehearsal area on Wednesday, days earlier than she was set to depart for coaching in Texas.
“I am talking to myself every day and going, ‘You’re brave, you’re bold, you are doing this for the next generation to inspire so many different people but especially young girls to go, “I’ll go to space in the future.” No limitations,’” she stated.
Perry stated she has been “psychologically” making ready for the spaceflight by studying work from the late Sagan and different scientists.
“I’m really excited about the engineering of it all. I’m excited to learn more about STEM and just the math about what it takes to accomplish this type of thing,” she stated.
An all-female spaceflight appears an apt endeavor for the 40-year-old Perry, whose assortment of hits embody songs about extraterrestrials (“E.T.”) and fireworks capturing throughout the sky (“Firework”), in addition to feminist anthems like her 2013 hit, “Roar,” and “WOMAN’S WORLD,” off her most up-to-date album.
Perry stated that at any time when she is doing one thing new or daunting, she seems inward for power and confidence.
“Using that feminine divine that I was born with and definitely unlocked when I had my daughter even more. It leveled up for sure. Being a mother just makes you level up with that type of power,” she stated. Her daughter, Daisy, 4, joined Perry earlier than her rehearsal.
Bezos’ rocket firm Blue Origin introduced the crew in February. Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, picked the ladies who will be part of her on a 10-minute spaceflight from West Texas aboard a New Shepard rocket. Perry, Sanchez and King will probably be joined by Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist who now heads an engineering agency, analysis scientist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
“I am feeling so grateful and grounded and honored to be invited and included with this incredible group of women,” Perry stated. At any time when she will get nervous concerning the journey, she reminds herself how essential it’s.
Blue Origin has flown vacationers on brief hops to area since 2021, after Bezos climbed aboard together with his brother for the inaugural journey; the upcoming journey would be the firm’s eleventh human spaceflight. Some passengers have acquired free rides, whereas others have paid a hefty sum to expertise weightlessness. The corporate declined to touch upon who’s footing the invoice for Monday’s flight.
The information of the upcoming journey has not been with out critiques, most not too long ago from actor Olivia Munn, who bemoaned the mission’s price and publicity. However Perry believes an all-women crew — the primary since Valentina Tereshkova’s solo spaceflight in 1963 — has historic ramifications. Solely 14% of people that have gone to area to date have been ladies.
“It’s an important moment for the future of commercial space travel and for humanity in general and for women all around,” she stated. “I just feel like, ‘Put us in coach.’”
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This story has been corrected to report that 14% of people that have gone to area have been ladies, not 11%.
