Space

If you thought the women on Blue Origin’s mission were clinging to their seats in panic -- nope! They were over the moon, almost … and having an absolute blast the whole way through.

Katy Perry was up there doing the most, flashing the onboard camera feed a daisy in honor of her daughter, and casually revealing her 'Lifetimes' setlist on a butterfly card -- along with Gayle King and Lauren Sánchez gazing down at Earth like the ultimate girl squad in space.

The zero-gravity vibe was major, with the crew -- including NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn -- kicking back in total style for their 12 minutes of weightless wonder.

Jeff Bezos almost kissed the ground before Katy Perry and Gayle King ... because he tripped and fell on his face at the Blue Origin rocket launch landing ... and it's all on video.

Ya gotta see the footage ... the billionaire, who founded Blue Origin, faceplants as he runs around the space capsule looking for fiancée Lauren Sanchez.

Jeff's peering in the windows and he's not looking where he's going ... and boom, he walks into a a ditch and trips over himself.

Blue Origin sent a group of women to the final frontier ... and TMZ streamed it live as Gayle King, Katy Perry and Lauren Sánchez blasted off into space and returned to Earth Monday morning.

The girl gang includes NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.

At 9:30 AM ET sharp, the ramp and scaffolding detached from Jeff Bezos' rocket the New Shepard Van Horn, in West Texas. A minute later, the rocket launched successfully. At 9:38 AM, after reaching its apogee, the rocket began its descent back down. By 9:39 AM, the rocket executed a "picture perfect landing" back on Earth, directly on the spot from where it launched. Then the capsule, still airborne, deployed its parachutes as it floated down. At 9:41 AM, the capsule landed in the dirt.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are recalling their space odyssey for the first time ... including the moment they knew they had a ride home.

Butch and Suni sat down with FOX News for their first interview since being rescued from the International Space Station and they explained their thoughts and emotions when they finally had a date on the calendar they could circle after spending 9 months stranded in space.

Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon capsule brought them home after 286 days in the final frontier ... and Suni describes her immediate reaction when the spacecraft that would bring them back to Earth docked at the ISS.

Astronaut Mae Jemison is giving advice to Lauren Sanchez and Gayle King ahead of their upcoming mission to space ... and she tells us the final frontier is going to flip their world upside down.

We got Dr. Jemison Friday in New York City and our photog asked her what Lauren and Gayle should know about space before blasting off in a Blue Origin rocket.

Mae, who in 1992 became the first woman of color to go to space, tells us preparation is key ... but so is perspective.

Gayle King is over the moon about yesterday's return trip by NASA astronauts from the International Space Station and their smooth landing back on Planet Earth -- especially with her own space odyssey on the horizon.

We caught up with Gayle, and she told us she’s been in constant contact with her fellow trailblazers on Blue Origin’s upcoming all-woman crew for their own mission to space -- and according to her, they’re locked in, pumped up, and ready to blast off!

Gayle's set to soar alongside an out-of-this-world girl gang -- pop icon Katy Perry, journalist and author Lauren Sánchez, NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.

After 286 days in space, two American astronauts who've been stuck on the International Space Station since last spring are finally back down on Earth.

Butch Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams splashed down softly off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida today at about 5:58 PM ET, following a 19-hour journey in a SpaceX spacecraft, alongside astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov.

It was a smooth arrival back to Planet Earth, with Dragon Freedom’s Crew-9 parachutes deploying 6,000 feet in the air, and the control room erupting in cheers as they splashed down into the water.

The two American astronauts who've been stranded since last spring on the International Space Station are finally coming back to Earth.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams left the ISS on Tuesday and are now traveling in a SpaceX spacecraft alongside two other astronauts. NASA says the four-person crew is scheduled to touch down on Earth later this evening, with the trip expected to take around 19 hours.

A relief crew arrived at the ISS on Sunday, allowing Butch and Suni to head home. NASA moved up their return by a day to avoid some unfavorable weather later in the week.

Lauren Sanchez says the ladies going to space with her will be able to inspire the world with their experiences ... 'cause they are all storytellers who can share the profound impact back on Earth.

The former entertainment reporter shared a little behind-the-scenes clip of her first meeting with pop star Katy Perry, journalist and host Gayle King, NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil-rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn ... the first all-female heading to the edge of space in a Blue Origin rocket this spring.

Sanchez says this group was chosen because they're all storytellers ... who can share their experience with people and inspire the next generation of trailblazers.

SpaceX's Starship didn't have a very efficient launch ... 'cause instead of staying in one piece in space, the whole thing came apart -- and, it's now raining down on the Bahamas.

The ship -- which took off for it's 8th test launch Thursday -- made it into space ... but, the SpaceX crew then lost "attitude control of the ship" and only two of the ship's six engines were functioning properly.

The ground crew then lost contact with the ship ... and, many only saw it again when its fiery debris came raining down from the sky.

Who says women can’t break the glass ceiling? Gayle King's smashing through and heading straight to the stars, 'cause she's joining a bunch of trailblazing women making their way into space.

Gayle just announced she’s part of the historic all-woman crew for Blue Origin’s next flight to the edge of space -- set to launch this spring.

Gayle explained she initially turned it down, but she admits that if the crew nailed the mission and she wasn’t there, she’d be kicking herself. Now, she’s gonna be along for the ride!

Donald Trump's plans for his 2nd term are out of this world ... with the returning commander-in-chief announcing a new Mars mission during his inaugural address.

Check it out ... while addressing the nation inside the U.S. Capitol Building Monday, Trump declares his goal to plant a U.S. flag on the 4th planet from the Sun ... in order to be seen as "a growing nation" again.

He adds ... "We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars."

Elon Musk is going all Russell Crowe in response to an explosion during his latest rocket launch ... he says the fireball in the sky was entertaining as hell!!!

The billionaire is shrugging off yet another explosion during a test launch for Starship, the biggest rocket ever made.

SpaceX's launch from the Texas coast Thursday saw the Starship capsule explode ... making the rocket look like a meteor shower.

An OnlyFans model in Germany wants to make history with Elon Musk ... by giving birth to the first baby on Mars.

Elsa Thora tells TMZ ... she wants to get knocked up by Elon and pop out their child on the Red Planet.

The social media influencer and OF model is dead serious here ... she says this isn't about clout ... she truly believes the Earth is dying and Elon is going to save humanity by colonizing Mars.

Elon Musk treated Donald Trump to quite the show Tuesday ... as SpaceX's Starship megarocket blasted off into space in an attempt to make a perfect landing back on the launchpad ... though they both had to settle for saltwater splash-downs.

The biggest rocket ever made launched from the company's Starbase launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas for Starship Flight 6 ... in a test to see if both stages of the spacecraft -- the Super Heavy booster and the Starship capsule -- would return safely back to Earth ... and Trump had a front-row seat.

After blasting off and travelling into space, the Super Heavy booster essentially flew in reverse back to Earth -- it was supposed to be "grabbed" by the launch and catch tower's "chopstick" arms, but it instead landed in the Gulf of Mexico. A couple minutes into the mission, SpaceX had announced a "no go" for the attempted booster catch. The booster was meant to be reusable, but won't be since it landed in saltwater, which it's not designed to withstand.

Buzz Aldrin says he's voting for Donald Trump for president ... and the famous former astronaut says space exploration is playing a big part in his endorsement.

Buzz, the second man to walk on the moon, says Trump deserves a second term because DT places high importance on space exploration ... praising his first administration for reigniting national efforts to get back to the moon and to travel to Mars.

In a lengthy statement Wednesday explaining his pick for president, Aldrin says he's a big fan of the U.S. Space Force, which was created during Trump's first term ... Buzz says the Space Force is "increasingly important as space becomes a contested domain." BA also applauded Trump for reinstating the National Space Council when he was in office.