Despite flying to the edge of space, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos does not qualify for his astronaut wings, after the US Federal Aviation Authority tightened its rules. It is possible Wally Funk may be given 'honorary astronaut wings' by the FAA for 'demonstrating and extraordinary contribution' to human spaceflight. Even if Bezos doesn't get his FAA Wings, it doesn't take away from them going into space, as Blue Origin's New Shepard easily passed the 50 mile mark. It isn't all bad news for the Blue Origin crew though, as the FAA is able to issue honorary wings in exceptional circumstances. Blue Origin have been asked for a comment but have yet to respond.

Source: Daily Mail July 23, 2021 09:58 UTC