ONTARIO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� After a long day of rehearsing for her upcoming world tour, decided to peruse a few books to help her unwind before bed.
鈥淚 was listening to 鈥楥osmos鈥� by Carl Sagan and reading a book on string theory,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淚鈥檝e 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.鈥�
But the pop superstar was motivated by more than just curiosity. On Monday, she will join Jeff Bezos鈥� fiancee Lauren Sanchez, journalist Gayle King and three other women Perry spoke with The Associated Press at her Southern California rehearsal space on Wednesday, days before she was set to leave for training in Texas.
鈥淚 am talking to myself every day and going, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e brave, you鈥檙e bold, you are doing this for the next generation to inspire so many different people but especially young girls to go, 鈥淚鈥檒l go to space in the future.鈥� No limitations,鈥欌�� she said.
Perry said she has been 鈥減sychologically鈥� preparing for the spaceflight by reading work from the late Sagan and other scientists.
鈥淚鈥檓 really excited about the engineering of it all. I鈥檓 excited to learn more about STEM and just the math about what it takes to accomplish this type of thing,鈥� she said.
An all-female spaceflight seems an apt endeavor for the 40-year-old Perry, whose collection of hits include songs about extraterrestrials (鈥淓.T.鈥�) and fireworks shooting across the sky (鈥淔irework鈥�), as well as feminist anthems like her 2013 hit, 鈥淩oar,鈥� and 鈥淲OMAN鈥橲 WORLD,鈥� off her most
Perry said that whenever she is doing something new or daunting, she looks inward for strength and confidence.
鈥淯sing 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,鈥� she said. Her daughter, Daisy, 4, joined Perry before her rehearsal.
Bezos鈥� rocket company announced the crew in February. Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, picked the women who will join her on a 10-minute spaceflight from West Texas aboard a New Shepard rocket. Perry, Sanchez and King will be joined by Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist who now heads an engineering firm, research scientist Amanda Nguyen and movie producer Kerianne Flynn.
鈥淚 am feeling so grateful and grounded and honored to be invited and included with this incredible group of women,鈥� Perry said. Whenever she gets nervous about the trip, she reminds herself how important it is.
Blue Origin has flown tourists on short hops to space since 2021, after for the inaugural trip; the upcoming trip will be the company's 11th human spaceflight. Some passengers have received free rides, while others have paid a hefty sum to experience weightlessness. The company declined to comment on who is footing the bill for Monday's flight.
The news of the upcoming trip has not been without critiques, most recently from actor who bemoaned the mission's cost and publicity. But Perry believes an all-women crew 鈥� the first since in 1963 鈥� has historic ramifications. Only 14% of people who have gone to space so far have been women.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an important moment for the future of commercial space travel and for humanity in general and for women all around,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 just feel like, 鈥楶ut us in coach.鈥欌��
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This story has been corrected to report that 14% of people who have gone to space have been women, not 11%.
Krysta Fauria, The Associated Press
