NASA has lashed out at Brazilian content creator, Laysa Peixoto, after her claims of being selected for the agency's 2029 Titans Space expedition.
“I was selected to become a career astronaut, working on manned space flights to private space stations,” Peixoto wrote.
Her statement attracted social media’s spotlight—especially because if her claims were true, they would have made her the first Brazilian woman to visit space.
Highlights
- Brazilian content creator, Laysa Peixoto, claimed she had been selected for the agency's 2029 Titans Space expedition.
- This would have made her the only Brazilian woman to be trained as an astronaut.
- NASA has since dismissed her claims.
The post, which went live on June 5, drew a rebuke from NASA, prompting the social media personality to edit her post.
Peixoto’s claims would have made her the only Brazilian to be trained by NASA
Image credits: astrolaysa
“It hasn't fully sunk in yet, but I feel immense gratitude for the entire journey I've taken so far and for everyone who has been and is a part of it,” Peixoto wrote in the controversial update with a photo of herself wearing NASA merchandise.
“I was selected to become a career astronaut, working on manned space flights to private space stations, and for future manned missions to the Moon and Mars,” her story continued.
Image credits: astrolaysa
She went on to say that she had joined the organization's Class of 2025, which put her on track for the Titans Space flight scheduled for 2029.
Notably, this would have made her the only Brazilian woman to be trained as an astronaut and the second Brazilian—the first being a man named Marcos Ponte, who hitched a ride on the International Space Station aboard the Russian module Soyuz TMA-8 in March 2006.
A press release about the 2029 space expedition did not mention her
Image credits: astrolaysa
An April press release suggests otherwise.
It names veteran astronaut Bill McArthur as the pilot for the expedition, along with Chief Astronaut Chris Sembroski.
Image credits: astrolaysa
Dr. Mindy Howard has been picked to carry out the duties of an Astronaut Trainer and Human Factors Specialist, while Vaseema Hussain has been earmarked as Astronaut Liaison and tasked with Space Sustainability responsibilities.
But nowhere does it mention Laysa Peixoto.
This anomaly was brought to the attention of the Peixoto’s people but they fired back, saying that the press release was outdated, according to Brazilian news outlet, Tempo.
NASA dismissed the content creator’s claims
NASA has since taken the rare step of responding to the Instagram post. In a communication with the Daily Mail, the organization wrote:
“While we generally do not comment on personnel, this individual is not a NASA employee, principal investigator, or astronaut candidate.”
Image credits: NASA
NASA acknowledged Peixoto’s involvement in a past student program but asserted that said project had no bearing on her claims.
Its communication with the outlet concluded Peixoto’s was never in “an internship or job at NASA,” and that her assertions were inappropriate.
Peixoto has since walked back her claim
Image credits: astrolaysa
Following NASA’s rebuke, Peixoto reposted, denying saying she was selected by NASA and that she only wore a jacket branded with the organization's logo.
“Maybe many of you didn’t get a chance to read what I said when I announced ‘I’m going to space,’ just the title. The text is available here and in it, I mention WHO selected me, and I mention that it’s a PRIVATE space program,” she wrote in the new post.
Image credits: astrolaysa
“At no time is there a mention of NASA, or that she would be an astronaut for the agency. The post was never edited,” a spokesperson for the content creator echoed.
However, Peixoto’s disputed post has an “edited” label right next to her name above the caption.
America does not offer lifetime astronaut careers to non-citizens
Image credits: astrolaysa
NASA has since pointed out that L’Space, a brand on a laptop that Peixoto and her team have cited as proof of her claims, was merely a memoir of a past student workshop.
Notably, while the U.S. does have international astronaut programs that include Brazil, among others, it does not employ foreigners for career roles.
Social media thinks she is “tangled”
