The countdown is on for the all-female crew, led by singer Katy Perry, to blast off into space on a Blue Origin rocket.

For the April 14 flight on the New Shepard, Perry will be joined by journalist Gail King, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics researcher and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, filmmaker Keriana Flynn and journalist and helicopter pilot Lauren Sanchez, who is engaged to Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos.

According to Blue Origin, the all-female crew's mission into space will be the 11th manned spaceflight for New Shepard and the first all-female spaceflight since 1963.

The flight will last only about 11 minutes and reach an altitude of about 65 miles (104 km) above Earth. The Carman Line, considered the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space, is 100 km (62 miles), so Perry and her crewmates won't actually be launched into orbit.

In their first interview together as a crew, King told ELLE that she prepared for the flight by learning to meditate to ease her anxiety.

"I'm starting to meditate. I tried years ago, but one of these women said to me, 'I have the perfect guy for you. So he's going to come into my home," Gail told the publication.

"I have a few sessions planned before we get on, just to help me with my anxiety," she added.

Bowe said she had "ramped up the intensity" of her preparations in the final countdown to the launch.

"I just finished a NASTAR simulation where I was able to experience what I could expect to encounter during the flight. For me, physical preparation is really important. I want my body to know what it feels like on takeoff. We have a fighter flight booked and I'm really excited about that," said Bowe.

Flynn said he uses zero-gravity simulation flights to get used to the feeling of weightlessness.

When the women reach space, they will be able to float around the New Shepard rocket for a few minutes.

"I've done a couple of simulation flights with zero gravity. They cut out a Boeing 747 and fly the plane in a parabolic pattern, so when the plane descends, everyone goes up. This was to get used to the feeling of weightlessness. So I think I'll have fun with that when we take off. I also went through the NASTAR training in Philadelphia," Flynn says.

A few days before the April 14 launch, the New Shepherd crew will gather at the launch pad in Van Horn, Texas, for final training.

The first day of training focuses on getting Blue Origin's future astronauts into specially tailored spacesuits and acclimated to the capsule they will fly in.

When Perry, King and their crewmates enter the fully accurately depicted test capsule during training, they will see for the first time where they sit, with nameplates and patches marking their seats.

Blue Origin staff then guide the crew on what the flight will feel and sound like, noting everything from where the cameras are located in the capsule to how to react to ground control and where the oxygen masks are positioned.

Each New Shepherd passenger has a 3-pound weight limit on what they can take with them into space.

King said he chooses photos to take with him as well as a souvenir from his grandson, while Perry said he plans to take something alive "to remind us how precious the Earth is."

Bowe said she plans to bring the flag from Apollo 12, as well as plant samples from Winston-Salem State University's astrobotany lab and dehydrated cone stew, the national dish of her native Bahamas.

Nguyen's journey into space will include mussels from the island in Malaysia where her mother, a Vietnamese, first sought refuge after the fall of Saigon, as well as a handwritten note that says, "Never give up."

Sanchez said she plans to take along the stuffed animal mascot from her children's book, "The Fly That Flew Into Space," as well as a few personal items.

While preparing for the flight of a lifetime, the New Shepherd crew will also learn two important phrases to use if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable and want to abandon the flight.

According to Knights, those two phrases are "time out" and "I'm not going to fly."

Perry and the other Blue Origin astronauts have 2 minutes and 30 seconds before liftoff to say these words. After that, the vehicle controls itself and the Blue Origin team said it could be risky to stop the program.

New Shepard's all-female crew said they plan to be "glamorous in space" and not shy about it.

"I think it's so important for people to see us like this. That dichotomy of engineer and scientist, then beauty and fashion. We encompass a multitude of things. Women are multiple. I will wear lipstick," Nguyen said.

Bowe also said she took the hairstyle she plans to wear on the flight on a trial skydive in Dubai, adding, "I wanted to try out my hair too and make sure it was good." | BGNES