When it comes to packing for a trip to space, Gayle King is admittedly a little lost.
“I”m winging it,” King, 70 exclusively told Us Weekly on Saturday, April 5, while attending The 11th Breakthrough Prize ceremony, a star-studded gala honoring acclaimed science and mathematics luminaries. “I’m getting ready. I’m now putting my bag together. Like, what do you put in the bag to go to space, right?”
King went on to reveal that she is getting a little help in the packing department, courtesy of her daughter Kirby Bumpus’ son, Lucas.
“So I’m staying with my daughter,” she explained to Us. “I Just asked my favorite grandson, ‘Could you pick out your favorite animal, one of your favorite stuffed animals, that could go with me to space and keep ‘Gyla’ company?’ So he’s looking.”
King went on to add that her “glamorous” trip to space will be led by an all-women crew — a first for Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos.
Katy Perry and Gayle King are officially a part of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin’s all-women crew on their next trip to space. On Thursday, February 27, Blue Origin announced the six people flying on the spring 2025 mission: Perry, 40, King, 70, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn […]
“Well, it’s the first all women crew,” King said. “I imagine that we’ll comb our hair and put on lipstick.”
When Us asked how King’s anxiety level is as she nears the April 14 launch date, the CBS Mornings host gave a candid — and relatable — response.
“On a scale of 1-10, it’s a 12,” she explained.
King will take part in Blue Origin’s 11th human flight alongside popstar Katy Perry, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientists and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn and journalist and helicopter pilot Lauren Sanchez.
The New Shepard rocket is the first all-women spacecraft since Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova made a solo flight to space in 1963.
The NS-31 mission will reportedly last around 11 minutes and send King and her fellow space travelers approximately 65 miles above Earth. While the crew will not technically enter space orbit, they will surpass what is known as the Karman line — the internationally recognized boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. The rocket will launch from Launch Site One in West Texas.
Before King and crew head off to space, the award-winning journalist and her cohorts will come together at the launch site in Van Horn, Texas, for their final training sessions.
While King is excited for her upcoming voyage, not everyone is thrilled about the prospect of people traveling to space. While co-hosting Today With Jenna & Friends, actress Olivia Munn asked co-host Jenna Bush Hager why these trips to space even exist.
“What are they doing? Like, why?” Munn said. “You know what I mean? I know this is probably not the cool thing to say, but there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now. What are you guys going to do in space?”
She continued, “And by the way, if you want to go to space, why do you need to tell us about it? You know? Just go up there, have a good time, come on down. Also, I just think about — I know this is probably obnoxious but it’s so much money to go to space. There’s a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs. Oh my god, if they bring eggs into space!”
