It has been some time, but Blue Origin is once again bringing tourists into space. Yesterday’s launch from Texas included five passengers and the pilot.
One of the passengers on the New Shepard rocket was former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight. Mr. Dwight was one of the nation’s first Black astronaut candidate, though he never had the opportunity to fly until yesterday. He was also the oldest person to go into space, beating Star Trek’s William Shatner’s age by a few months. After the flight, Mr. Dwight stated, “I thought I really didn’t need this in my life, but now I need it in my life.”
If you are interested in taking such a flight, just visit this Blue Origin link for more information. The site points out that you only need two days to prepare for a flight:
Our on-site astronaut training program is meticulously designed to teach everything you’ll need to know for a safe spaceflight. Over two days, you’ll learn about New Shepard’s mission profile, safety systems, zero-g protocols, and execute mission simulations.
While I am sure plenty of people are happy that this part of the commercial space industry is operational again, I am looking forward to more commercial success with the resupply of the International Space Station, particularly the upcoming launch of the Boeing Starliner.
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