This Makes Me Unbearably Happy

[Rich] Pigs in Space!!!

The FAA has made a rules change which means that Jeff Bezos and the rest of the Blue Origin crew may not get their astronaut wings.

The rule change, which took place after Richard Branson launched into space, but before Bezos rode his space dildo into the thermosphere, means that absent an appeal, Bezos is not an "Astronaut".

Given the actual level of involvement of Bezos and the rest of the, "crew," are best described as, "Cargo," though I am sure that someone more charitable than I am would compare them to the chimpanzees that were shot into space at the beginning of the space race.

It's clear that this change was a response to the general outrage that his flight engendered, as well as the prospect that anyone with a few hundred thousand dollars to burn getting wings.

Just because you ride on an airline, you don't get to be called a pilot, and the fact the Bezos, and his Brother, won't get their wings amuses me:

Federal aviation regulators have made a rare change to the requirements for its Commercial Astronaut Wings Program, meaning Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos may not officially be recognized for his spaceflight this week.

The Federal Aviation Administration changed rules for the program on the same day Bezos, his brother and two others made their historic first commercial spaceflight on Tuesday.

For the first time in 17 years, the FAA updated its Commercial Astronaut Wings Program. Before the change, all that was required to be recognized was to fly to at least an altitude of 50 miles.

The change added a requirement that any commercial flight must also include activities during flight that are "essential to public safety" or contribute to "spaceflight safety."

In addition, the FAA will permit crew members for such flights and the spacecraft will need to be licensed by the agency.

………

A little more than a week before the Blue Origin flight, Virgin Galactic CEO and founder Richard Branson flew to space aboard Virgin's SpaceShipTwo. He and three others aboard the flight received their wings as part of the program, as it occurred before the change.

Under the new rules, only the two pilots on that flight would have qualified.

First the city and state of New York told Jeff Bezos (and his helipad) to go pound sand, and now it's the FAA.

I want to see more of this.