Right on schedule, the capsule drifted down and landed in the Texas desert. One by one, the six women aboard stepped out to breathe Earth air once again. First off was Jeff BezosThe founder of Amazon and one of the world's richest people. ' fiancee Lauren Sanchez; next came Katy PerryAn American singer and songwriter, born in 1984. She was the world's highest-paid female musician in 2015 and 2018. . The singer sank on her knees to kiss the ground.

Bezos' New Shepard rocket had taken them 62 miles above the Earth during the 11-minute flight - high enough for them to experience weightlessness. After separating from the capsule the rocket - named after the first American in space, Alan Shepard - returned to Earth and landed two miles from its launch pad.

It was the first all-female space flight since the 26-year-old SovietRelating to the Soviet Union, a powerful group of communist republics, the biggest being Russia, that existed from 1922 to 1991. cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova undertook a three-day solo mission in 1963. After landing, Katy Perry said that she felt "super-connected to life". TV presenter Gayle King, who was also on board, said she believed the flight would be an inspiration to young women.

Making it obviously required courage. But if it was supposed to send a message about female emancipationThe process of being set free. , some say, it was a very strange one.

None of the women on board were actually involved in flying the spacecraft - the commands were all given remotely. They also wore specially designed suits which Sanchez described as "flattering and sexy".

In terms of winning publicity for Bezos' company Blue Origin, the mission was a huge success. But it has ramped up a long-running debate about space tourism.

"We see space flight as being for science, knowledge and the interests of humanity," said Dr Kai-Uwe Schrogl of the European Space Agency - something very different from providing exclusive thrills for celebrities and the very rich.

The company's website claims that its spacecraft is environmentally friendly: "The only by-product of New Shepard's engine combustion is water vapour with no carbon emissionsThings that are released, such as gases, as part of a process. E.g. greenhouse gases. ." But Professor Eloise Marais of University College London explains that even water vapour is damaging in the upper layers of the atmosphere: "It alters the chemistry of the stratosphereA layer of the atmosphere which extends for 31 miles above the Earth's surface., depleting the ozone layerA layer of gas around 10 kilometres above the Earth's surface which absorbs ultraviolet radiation (a type of heat that reaches the planet from the sun). The layer has a very important role as exposure to too much ultraviolet can be bad for living things., and also forms clouds that affect climate."

She also points out that soot is a major contributor to global warming - and soot particles released by rockets are 500 times more damaging than those emitted by aircraft or land vehicles.¹

Should we be focusing on Earth instead?

Yes: We have everything we need on our own planet, provided we look after it properly, so it is ridiculous to give vast resources to space exploration rather than environmental projects.

No: The human population is now so large that however hard we try to conserve resources, they are bound to run out - so we need to look for them elsewhere as a matter of urgency.  

Or... Professor Brian CoxAn English physicist at the University of Manchester best known for his work presenting popular BBC documentaries. He was also a member of the band D:Ream. argues that since we are probably the only advanced civilisation in the galaxy, we have a moral obligation to explore it - "because if we don't do that, nobody's doing it".

Jeff Bezos - The founder of Amazon and one of the world's richest people.

Katy Perry - An American singer and songwriter, born in 1984. She was the world's highest-paid female musician in 2015 and 2018.

Soviet - Relating to the Soviet Union, a powerful group of communist republics, the biggest being Russia, that existed from 1922 to 1991.

Emancipation - The process of being set free.

Emissions - Things that are released, such as gases, as part of a process. E.g. greenhouse gases.

Stratosphere - A layer of the atmosphere which extends for 31 miles above the Earth's surface.

Ozone layer - A layer of gas around 10 kilometres above the Earth's surface which absorbs ultraviolet radiation (a type of heat that reaches the planet from the sun). The layer has a very important role as exposure to too much ultraviolet can be bad for living things.

Brian Cox - An English physicist at the University of Manchester best known for his work presenting popular BBC documentaries. He was also a member of the band D:Ream.