Because she singlemindedly wanted to prove how stupid it was to base a citizenship law on where a child was born. . She was a political activist bent on making a point. Does it really matter WHY she was in space?
(I’m sure this is a hypothetical question but pregnant women would not be allowed to go up in a space shuttle).
You mean for the here and now. Perhaps in the future people will vacation on the moon. Bigelow is already working to build an orbiting space hotel.
http://www.spacetourismnow.com/bigelow-sundancer.htm
Is this meant to be serious? If so, something’s really off!
It is meant to be absurd. It is a thought experiment designed to demonstrate how foolish it is to regard birth place as the determining factor for citizenship.
The child could be alternatively Russian or American depending on when it is born! :) Of course others have pointed out that we have treaties limiting the border to some specific height about the surface, but that is just an attempt to dodge the salient point. All I have to do to counter is inform them that it's a really low orbit, and within the national boundaries, etc.