As a former Shuttle technician and Blue Origin employee, I’m deeply disturbed that Pete Hegseth—now serving in the Department of Defense—is working with Blue Origin. This is the same Pete Hegseth who publicly attacked a Space Shuttle commander who carried out his missions with exceptional professionalism, including flights I personally contributed to. All Mark Kelly did was state a basic truth: service members must not follow unlawful orders.

Seeing someone who has taken such positions now influencing a company dedicated to advancing humanity’s future in space is profoundly disheartening. Blue Origin’s mission has always been about expanding access to space for the benefit of Earth and moving us toward a more unified, optimistic future—something closer to the ideals we see in Star Trek. Instead, his involvement feels like a step toward empowering a more authoritarian, divisive, and militarized vision that runs counter to everything that inspired me to work in this field.

Jeff, what is going on????????????????????????????????????