Emily Calandrelli, 100th woman to be in space, stands up to men bullying her: 'I won’t bow to small minds'

When dreams become reality, life changes forever. For Emily Calandrelli (@thespacegal), that moment arrived on November 22. The MIT-trained aerospace engineer and Emmy-nominated science TV host made history as the 100th woman to venture into space. In a video originally shared by Blue Origin (@blueorigin), an emotional Calandrelli gazed out the spacecraft window and exclaimed, "Oh my God! This is space." Her raw reaction captured the magic of space exploration but, unfortunately, also attracted a wave of inappropriate remarks online, primarily from men criticizing her emotions.

Blue Origin responded to the flood of distasteful comments by taking down the original video and replacing it with an edited version. But what about Calandrelli? Did the unwarranted hatred shake her confidence? No. She refused to let the trolls overshadow her historic achievement. Talking to CNN, Calandrelli said, "I refuse to give much time to the small men on the internet. I feel experiences in my soul. I will not apologize or feel weird about my reaction. It's wholly mine and I love it." However, she also acknowledged that initially, she was devasted by the negativity and found herself crying on the flight home from the mission. But, a moment of unexpected kindness helped shift her outlook. A Southwest flight attendant approached her and said, "Don't let them dull your shine." Those simple yet heartfelt words became a turning point, resonating deeply with Calandrelli. "I felt an immediate sense of camaraderie with her, with all women," she added.

A representative for Calandrelli told the outlet that the MIT engineer preferred not to comment further on the issue, choosing instead to focus on the inspiration her journey has sparked. Reflecting on her achievement, Calandrelli likened the awe of seeing Earth from space to the emotions she felt as a new mother. "I immediately turned upside down and looked at the planet and then there was so much space, and I kept saying, like, 'That's our planet!' It was the same feeling I got when my kids were born where I'm like, seeing it for the first time," she shared.

Calandrelli shared similar emotions in a video on her Instagram, where she and her crewmates were seen enjoying their time in space. Reflecting on the experience, she wrote, "A dream decades in the making. The only thing I can compare it to was holding my babies for the first time after they were born. Like knowing someone for a long time, loving someone for a while, but seeing them with your own eyes for the very first time. It hit me in the soul and is tattooed on my heart forever. How lucky I am to be one of 100 women to experience this view. I don't take it for granted, and I plan to share this awe with as many as I can."

Notably, this mission marked the ninth human spaceflight by Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin, utilizing a rocket designed for space tourism. The mission aimed to cross the Kármán line, the boundary separating Earth's atmosphere from outer space. Joining Calandrelli on this historic journey were Sharon Hagle, Marc Hagle, Austin Litteral, James (J.D.) Russell and Henry (Hank) Wolfond.

You can follow Emily Calandrelli (@thespacegal) on Instagram for more science-related content.