By Andrea Hargraves 
After the so-called “space race” between Jeff Bezos NS Richard BransonIt seemed that, after all, no winner came out. Now it will take more than traveling at least 80 km altitude to gain the traditional wings of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Contrary to what we all thought, Bezos and Branson are not astronauts.
On July 11, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson became the first billionaire to go into space. After him, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos followed suit.
Normally, both of these personnel and their crews would qualify for astronaut "wings" in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), simply because they have traveled at least 80 km altitude. But the rules changed on the same day Bezos launched himself on the Blue Origin rocket along with three other crew members.
The first rule introduced in the commercial spaceflight program since its introduction in 2004 now requires space travelers to demonstrate “activities during flight that are essential to public safety, or that contribute to the safety of human spaceflight,” in order to gain their wings.
FAA بيانات data
An FAA spokesperson said the change was made because it "is directly in line with the FAA's role in protecting public safety during commercial space operations."
When the program was first created in 2004, its goal was to identify flight crew members who had taken into account the FAA's mission to enhance the safety of vehicles designed to transport humans. The FAA has now shifted its focus to identifying flight crews who demonstrated in-flight activities that were essential to public safety, or that contributed to the safety of human spaceflight, among other criteria.
The FAA said, also in a statement.
Traditional wings vs honorary wings
The new system has a small gap for those who do not qualify for the traditional wings. It would allow the FAA to issue "honorary" wings to "individuals who have demonstrated an extraordinary contribution or beneficial service to the commercial human spaceflight industry."
It all sounds like a lot of hype about nothing, as the wings have no legal meaning and no privileges, it's just a matter of discretion. In addition, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic both have their own wings that bestow upon whomever they feel is most appropriate. However, for the first billionaires to successfully fly into space, the label can mean more than what you see.