Backlash over Bezos spaceflight sparks debate about equity in the cosmos

What is lost when only the wealthy and white represent humankind.

When Amazon founder Jeff Bezos took what some viewed as a joyride to the edge of space earlier this week and then thanked the employees of his e-commerce empire for paying for it, the backlash against the richest man in the world was swift. The anguish left behind from an economic shock induced by a global pandemic compounded animosity towards Bezos, whose fortune -- now topping $200 billion -- multiplied during the crisis. As millions of Americans struggled to pay rent, reports emerged that he had avoided paying income taxes. One lawmaker blasted his spaceflight on Twitter as "a monument to tax evasion and inequality." Tens of thousands signed a Change.org petition calling for Bezos not to return. Bezos has argued his mission is "not about escaping earth" but building a "road to space" for the benefit of future generations. "We need to do that to solve the problems here on Earth," he said after the launch, which was also lauded for sending pioneering female pilot Wally Funk into space after her astronaut dreams were deferred in the ’60s because she is a woman. The Amazon chairman's trip came just nine days after a similar suborbital jaunt from fellow billionaire Richard Branson, which seemed to cement the idea that spacefaring -- once revered by many as the pinnacle of human prowess and American ingenuity -- was just another playground for the ultra-wealthy and a reminder of the deep-rooted inequities that persist down on Earth.