astronaut Nicole Stott says that people who are cynical about a billionaire completing the first civilian spacewalk should calm their attitudes… because it would actually benefit everyone.

Nicole, who made her own spacewalk on the International Space Station in 2009, tells TMZ … billionaire Jared Isaacman Funding a historic spacewalk is good for humanity in the long run and will help us reach Mars one day.

Nicole sees it this way: Private space exploration is critical to our goal of going further into space than ever before. And while the average person can’t afford a trip to orbit right now, it will likely be possible in the future.

Nicole points out that about 50 years ago the average person could not afford a plane ticket and that she is convinced that space travel will become more commonplace in the future.

As we reported … Isaacman made history Thursday with his own Neil Armstrong Moment when he became the first civilian to experience unlimited space during the Polaris Dawn mission.

Billionaires are obviously obsessed with the final frontier – Richard Branson And Jeff Bezos launched into space in July 2021 — and Nicole says the public should be interested in space exploration… both for entertainment and scientific purposes. She says it will help us learn how to improve society and our planet.

Isaacman was tethered to the SpaceX spacecraft during his spacewalk, and Nicole says everything was safe. She says there is no greater danger to a civilian than to a NASA astronaut, since private expeditions include the same training as NASA missions.

Nicole was an astronaut on both the ISS and the Space Shuttle, so she knows her stuff… she even wrote a book about her experiences: “Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet—and Our Mission to Protect It.”

Nicole is also an aquanaut – someone who conducts research or lives underwater for long periods of time – and is currently in London preparing for a big event tonight… “Uniting sea and space: Global non-profits take over Piccadilly Lights to campaign for ocean protection.”