Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-38 made history on April 14, 2021, as it successfully launched and landed with six passengers on board. The journey, which lasted a total of 10 minutes and 10 seconds, took the passengers on a thrilling ride to the edge of space, providing them with a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The six passengers, including Blue Origin’s founder Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, 82-year-old aviation pioneer Wally Funk, and 18-year-old student Oliver Daemen, were all smiles as they emerged from the spacecraft after their journey. They had just experienced a few minutes of weightlessness and had the opportunity to see Earth from a whole new perspective.
The launch took place at Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas, where the New Shepard rocket lifted off at 9:12 am CDT. The rocket reached an altitude of 66 miles, surpassing the internationally recognized boundary of space at 62 miles. The passengers were able to unbuckle their seatbelts and float around the cabin, taking in the breathtaking views of Earth from above.
For Wally Funk, this was a long-awaited dream come true. In the 1960s, she was part of the “Mercury 13” program, a group of women who underwent the same physical and psychological tests as the male astronauts in NASA’s Mercury program. Despite outperforming many of the male candidates, the program was ultimately canceled, and Funk never got the chance to go to space. Now, at 82 years old, she has finally achieved her dream and become the oldest person to ever go to space.
The youngest person on board, Oliver Daemen, also made history as the first paying customer on a Blue Origin flight. The Dutch student bid $28 million in an auction for a seat on the New Shepard, but when the original winner had to back out due to scheduling conflicts, Daemen’s father stepped in to purchase the ticket for his son. At just 18 years old, Daemen is also the first person born after 2000 to go to space.
The Bezos brothers, who founded Blue Origin in 2000, were also on board the New Shepard. Jeff Bezos, who recently stepped down as CEO of Amazon, described the experience as “the best day ever.” He also announced that he would be awarding $100 million each to CNN contributor Van Jones and chef and humanitarian José Andrés as part of his “Courage and Civility” award.
The New Shepard’s journey was not only a milestone for the passengers but also for Blue Origin as a company. This was the first time the spacecraft carried humans, and it marks the beginning of their space tourism program. Blue Origin plans to have two more crewed flights this year, with the next one scheduled for September.
The successful launch and landing of the New Shepard NS-38 is a significant achievement for Blue Origin and the commercial space industry as a whole. It shows that space travel is becoming more accessible and that soon, anyone with the means and the desire will be able to experience the wonder of space. It also highlights the potential for space tourism to become a booming industry in the near future.
The six passengers of the New Shepard NS-38 have returned to Earth with a newfound appreciation for our planet and the vastness of space. They have also become part of a select group of individuals who have had the privilege of seeing our world from a perspective that very few have ever experienced. As Blue Origin continues to push the boundaries of space exploration and tourism, we can only imagine what incredible journeys lie ahead.
