“CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King returned safely to Earth on Monday morning after a roughly 10-minute journey to the edge of space with an all-women crew aboard Blue Origin‘s New Shepard spacecraft.
“I am so proud of me right now,” King said shortly after landing. “This was not a ride. What happened to us, this was a bona fide freakin’ flight.”
The spacecraft reached an altitude of 346,802 feet, with the mission lasting 10 minutes and 21 seconds from launch to landing. The crew experienced weightlessness and viewed Earth from a unique perspective.
During the flight, King’s excitement was captured on audio as she urged her fellow crew members to look at the celestial view.
“The moon. You guys,” she could be heard saying. “Look at the moon.”
King described the experience of being in space as “oddly quiet” and “peaceful,” adding that looking down at Earth was profound.
“You look down at the planet and you think that’s where we came from? To me it’s such a reminder about how we need to do better, be better,” she said.
Upon landing in West Texas, King was seen kissing the ground in celebration and relief.
King, who recently turned 70, admitted she had been terrified of flying but found courage through the mission’s extensive preparation.
“Our instructor said I am her best success story. She’s never had somebody go through the course who is terrified of flying,” King said.
King said she thought about Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous quote about courage during the flight.
“Courage is doing something that scares you but you do it anyway,” King said. “I stepped out of my comfort zone in a way I never thought was possible for me. I really do feel I can take on anything. Anything. Anything.”
The crew, including singer Katy Perry, film producer Kerianne Flynn, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, was assembled by journalist and philanthropist Lauren Sánchez, fiancée of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.
Sanchez formed what King described as a “true sisterhood” during their journey.
“We are forever bonded because you can’t go through what we went through to look out for each other, to help each other and not be changed by that,” she said.
When asked if she regretted the experience, King responded definitively: “I am glad I did it. I am very glad. I have no regrets about doing it.”
As for what’s next for King, she’s looking to conquer another fear.
“I may now get my ears pierced, I have always been afraid,” said King.
In a touching moment during the flight, King revealed pop superstar Perry sang “What a Wonderful World” after the crew returned to their seats following the zero-gravity portion of the journey.
“The best part was when we got back in our seats after zero Gs, Katy sang ‘What a Wonderful World,'” King said.
She explained that the crew had been asking Perry to sing throughout the trip, suggesting hits like “Roar” or “Firework,” but Perry declined.
“It’s not about me. I wanted to talk about the world,” Perry told her crew mates.
