Conspiracy theorists seize on Blue Origin door gaffe – and claim it’s ‘definitive proof’ that Katy Perry’s mission was FAKE
A bizarre gaffe has ignited online conspiracy theories about Kerry Perry’s flight into space with Blue Origin.
After the New Shepard capsule landed, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos proudly wrenched open the hatch with a specialised tool to greet the all-female crew.
However, footage from just minutes earlier clearly shows the capsule door being opened from the inside before being hastily shut.
Internet-dwelling conspiracy theorists have seized on this strange moment, hailing it as ‘definitive proof’ the mission was faked.
While there is little doubt that the Blue Origin rocket reached space, it shows just how tightly choreographed the staged event was supposed to be.
On X, formerly Twitter, one sceptical commenter wrote: ‘I’d say this is the nail in the coffin. FAKE!’
As the claim that the mission was an elaborate hoax goes viral, experts say that the Blue Origin launch was a ‘perfect storm’ for conspiracy theories.
Dr Daniel Jolley, an expert on the psychology of conspiracies from the University of Nottingham told MailOnline: ‘Space is vast, complex, and largely inaccessible to most people – in this context, it becomes easier for some individuals to question the official narrative.’
In a bizarre gaffe, the all-female crew of Katy Perry’s mission to space appear to open the door of the capsule from the inside just minutes after landing before hastily shutting it again
Minutes later, Jeff Bezos opens the capsule again with a special tool. Online, conspiracy theorists have seized this detail as a clear sign the mission was faked
Another conspiracy theorist called this ‘the nail in the coffin’ and falsely claimed that the New Shepard capsule could not be opened from the inside.
On X, many commenters who already had their doubts about the launch have seized this embarrassing door gaffe as a clear sign their theories are correct.
One commenter wrote: ‘It was fake. The girls opened the door to begin with from the inside with no tools.’
They added: ‘They then waited a few minutes, and Jeff Bezos stepped up with some sort of tool and acted like he unlocked the latch.’
Another commenter chimed in: ‘Can’t post this fake s*** enough. Doore opens from the inside, they’re told to close it because the door can ONLY be opened by an outside person.’
While one commenter wrote: ‘This s*** is so fake. Watch the door be opened from the inside; then they need a tool to open it from the outside.’
The main reason theorists latched onto this detail was the belief that the pressurised cabin shouldn’t have an inward opening door that could be operated by passengers.
Typical spacecraft have doors that open outwards and require a team of technicians working from the outside to unlock.
For example, anyone who watched the return of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams would have seen a crew of engineers working for minutes to open the hatch of their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
As the video goes viral online, more and more people have begun to believe that Katy Perry’s mission was an elaborate hoax
One commenter complained that the crew were ‘told to close the door’ to keep up the impression of the mission being real
In comparison, the relatively easy manner in which the New Shepard capsule door was opened has inflamed suspicions.
On X, one commenter complained: ‘Doesn’t look like a pressurised hatch to me more like a flimsy door.’
While another wrote: ‘Pretty sure pressurised doors don’t open inwards the capsule looks like its an inflatable tent and the only footage they showed was the “weightlessness” part which you can achieve in a plane.’
But that wasn’t the only detail of the landing that online theorists took issue with.
In particular, many commenters were confused by the fact that the capsule looked almost perfectly clean and unblemished after landing.
One commenter wrote: ‘The trip was faked. Aside from the faked door opening by Overlord Bezos, the paint on the capsule isn’t even slightly scorched from reentry.’
Yet most of these issues can be explained by the fact that the New Shepard capsule only barely made it into space.
The crew capsule hit a maximum altitude of 66.5 miles (107 km) which just put them over the Karman Line, the official boundary of space.
For many people who had already been sceptical about the mission, the fact that Jeff Bezos appeared to pretend to open the hatch was enough to prove that the entire project was faked
Commenters were also confused as to why the capsule wasn’t ‘scorched from reenty’ and argued this was evidence the trip had been faked
At this altitude the capsule was still within a very thin atmosphere and wasn’t exposed to the true vacuum of space like craft travelling to the International Space Sation are.
This means it isn’t necessary for New Shepard to have extremely well reinforced outward-opening doors like the Crew Dragon.
And, since it barely left the atmosphere, the capsule’s return from Earth doesn’t create the heat of a typical re-entry burn that would scorch the exterior.
Likewise, since the Apollo 1 disaster in which a capsule burst into flames on the launch pad, it has been standard practice for capsules to be openable from both sides.
In fact, NASA’s safety requirements specifically state ‘doors shall be operable by a single crew member in no more than 60 seconds, from both sides of the hatch’.
Once the capsule had depressurised upon landing, that means there was nothing stopping Katy Perry and Lauren Sanchez from opening the door from inside.
The more likely explanation for the hurried closure is simply that they had spoiled a photo opportunity with Jeff Bezos opening the door from the outside.
