Captain Kirk flies into space next week – and bravely goes where no other science fiction stars have gone.
Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin announced Monday that Star Trek actor William Shatner will take off from West Texas on October 12th.
“Yes, it’s true, I’m going to be a ‘rocket man!’” Tweeted the 90-year-old. He added, “It’s never too late to experience new things.”
Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is a big fan of the science fiction series and even made a cameo appearance as a high-ranking alien in the movie “Star Trek Beyond” in 2016. His rocket company invited Shatner to fly as a guest.
Shatner becomes the oldest person to go into space. He will join three others – two of them paying customers – on board a Blue Origin capsule. He will come into space as the second actor this month: On Tuesday, Russia will send an actress and a film director to the International Space Station for almost two weeks of film production.
Shatner’s flight, on the other hand, takes only 10 minutes and does not exceed 106 kilometers. The capsule will parachute back to the desert floor, not far from its starting point.
Space tourism picks up speed quickly with short or long flights.
Virgin Galactic brought founder Richard Branson to the edge of space with five others in July, followed by Bezos’ space jump nine days later. Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched its first private crew last month – a Pennsylvania entrepreneur who bought the three-day flight and brought along two contest winners and a cancer survivor.
Virgin Galactic’s ship takes off from an airplane and requires two pilots. The capsules from Blue Origin and SpaceX are fully automated, but passengers must pass medical screenings and, among other things, be able to quickly climb several steps on the launch tower to get to the capsule – or to get out of it in an emergency.
This will be the second launch of a Blue Origin crew.
Bezos was on the maiden flight on July 20th. He took his brother, an 18-year-old Dutchman, and 82-year-old aviation pioneer Wally Funk – the youngest and oldest to fly in space. Shatner will exceed this limit by eight years.
“I’ve heard of space for a long time. I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle,” Shatner said in a statement.
Shatner played the role of commander of the USS Starship Enterprise for three seasons, from 1966 to 1969. He also portrayed Captain James T. Kirk in seven films and directed one of them. He is currently the host and executive producer of the History Channel show “The UnXplained”.
The ashes of two other Star Trek powerhouses – creator Gene Roddenberry and actor James Doohan, who played Scotty – shot into space years ago after her death.
Also at the start with Shatner: a former NASA engineer who founded a nanosatellite company and co-founder of a software company specializing in clinical research. The two took part in the auction for a seat on their first flight. This seat cost $ 28 million; Blue Origin will not announce any further ticket prices.
A fourth seat on the flight goes to Blue Origin’s Vice President, Mission and Flight Operations, who previously worked for NASA as an air traffic controller for space stations.
A spokeswoman for Blue Origin said Shatner, like the rest of the group, met all of the company’s health and physical requirements.
Last week, more than 20 current and former Blue Origin employees accused the Kent, Washington-based company of having a toxic work environment and of failing to adhere to proper safety protocols. Blue Origin said it does not tolerate harassment or discrimination and stands by its safety record.
Bezos’ company is also challenging NASA to award a contract to SpaceX to provide a lunar lander that will bring astronauts back to the moon in a few years. Blue Origin was unsuccessful in applying for the job.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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