Jeff Bezos Is Getting Astronaut Wings. But Soon, the F.A.A. Won’t Award Them.
The New York Times
Starting in January, space tourists will not receive a participation trophy for flying to space. But everyone will be on the honor roll.
Jeff Bezos is officially an astronaut. Really — just ask the federal government.
The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday that it was ending a program that awarded small gold pins called “Commercial Space Astronaut Wings” to certain people who flew to space on private spacecraft.
But before the program officially retires in January, all who applied for the gold wings after flying to space this year will still receive them, the agency said. That means Mr. Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon who rode a rocket with his space company, Blue Origin, to the edge of space in July, will be considered a commercial astronaut.
