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On social media, a young Brazilian woman posted a photo claiming to have been chosen as a "career astronaut," drawing harsh criticism from the National Aeronautics and Space istration (NASA) for her questionable credentials.
The controversy began on June 5 when 23-year-old Laysa Peixoto revealed on Instagram that she had been selected to fly missions to the Moon and Mars after completing her NASA astronaut training in 2022.
Laysa Peixoto poses in a NASA T-shirt
The young woman, originally from Minas Gerais, explained that she would Titan Space's inaugural flight in 2029, led by veteran NASA astronaut Bill McArthur. "I feel immense gratitude for the path we've taken so far," Peixoto wrote in the post, accompanied by a photo of herself wearing a NASA T-shirt with the New York skyline in the background.
"I was selected to be a career astronaut, working on manned spaceflights to private space stations and for future manned missions to the Moon and Mars," Peixoto said, adding that she is "officially a Class of 2025 astronaut."
NASA responds to pseudo-astronaut's Instagram post
"While we generally do not comment on personnel, this individual is not a NASA employee, principal investigator, or astronaut candidate," NASA said in a statement provided to the Daily Mail, adding that she was involved in "a student workshop" that "is not an internship or job at NASA."
Titans Space, which is not licensed by the Federal Aviation istration (FAA) to host human spaceflights, confirmed Peixoto's involvement to the Brazilian outlet Metropoles.
However, Peixoto attempted to clear up any confusion her Instagram may have caused in a press release obtained by Brazilian outlet O Tempo. The Instagram post, which has over 83,000 likes, may have been edited and manipulated.