Who Is Emily Calandrelli? 100th Woman In Space Faces Sexist Trolling

Astronaut Emily Calandrelli was enthralled by the serenity of space -- a profound silence coupled with breathtaking views of the Earth. Aboard Blue Origin's New Shephard spacecraft on Mission NS-28, her excitement knew no bounds as she made history as the 100th woman in space. However, her joy was soon dampened by the vapid and relentless trolling on social media. Calandrelli's video was met with sexualising and misogynistic comments that demeaned her achievement.

Emily Calandrelli Hits Back

Emily Calandrelli aka Space Gal is a graduate of the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is an Emmy-nominated television host, a bestselling author, content creator, and mom-of-two. She also carried a note from her children when she made history in space.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emily Calandrelli (@thespacegal)

"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. How lucky I am to be one of 100 women to experience this view," Calandrelli shared on Instagram, adding that the moment is tattooed in her heart forever.

Calandrelli said in a Blue Origin post, "We got to weightlessness, I immediately turned upside down and looked at the planet and then there was so much blackness. There was so much space. I didn’t expect to see so much space, and I kept saying that’s our planet! That’s our planet!"

However, she had not anticipated the sickening online comments she would get for her raw and emotional response to the beauty of space. Instead of congratulating her, many social media trolls said things like, "Would you consider yourself the hottest woman to ever go to space?"

Calandrelli addressed how she faced trolling within 24 hours after returning from the trip of her life. She wrote in a heartfelt post, "Instead of being on cloud nine, I’m crying in my seat staring out the window. Because of course, this happened. Of course, I should have expected this."

In these difficult moments, Calandrelli found support and solace in sisterhood. "I spent the flight texting my space sisters for advice. To share anger and sadness and to receive validation that I have nothing to be embarrassed of. I had to take a moment to feminism myself if I’m being quite honest." 

Some drew unnecessary attention to her appearance or tone and passed lewd comments. However, this negativity did not dull Calandrelli's spark. She wrote in a separate post, "I refuse to give much time to the small men on the internet. I feel experiences in my soul."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emily Calandrelli (@thespacegal)

Calandrelli sportively responded that she will not be sorry for expressing authentic emotions. "I will not apologise or feel weird about my reaction. It’s wholly mine and I love it," she expressed. She also shared how a cabin crew on her flight back home recognised and reassured her.

"As I left the flight, the Southwest stewardess who recognized me, and I suspect could see that I had been crying, whispered as I walked off the plane 'Don’t let them dull your shine.' And I felt an immediate sense of camaraderie with her, with all women," Calandrelli wrote in her powerful message.