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Captain Kirk of Hollywood, 90-year-old William Shatner (William Shatner) flew into space on Wednesday in the fusion of science fiction and scientific reality on a spacecraft built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Company Arrived at the last frontier.
The Star Trek hero became the oldest person to ride a rocket, surpassing the previous record—a passenger took a similar excursion on the Bezos spacecraft in July—in 8 years.
Shatner in a royal blue flight suit and three passengers between the ages of 4 and 50 boarded the fully automated space capsule that took off from remote West Texas. The flight is expected to last about 10 minutes. flight.
The goal of the spacecraft is 106 kilometers (66 miles) above the edge of space, after which the capsule returns the parachute to the desert ground.
Sci-fi fans are delighted to have the opportunity to see this man known as the determined captain of the Starship Enterprise, James T Kirk, boldly go to places where American television stars have never been.
Before the countdown, Shatner said that he planned to stare at the earth for about three minutes of weightlessness, with his nose pressed against the window of the capsule.
“The only thing I don’t want to see is an elf looking back at me,” he joked, referring to the plot of his 1963 “Twilight” episode “The Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.”
Bezos is a big fan of “Star Trek”-the Amazon founder made a guest appearance as an alien in a later “Star Trek” movie-and Shatner rides for free as his invited guest.
Given its inherent appeal to baby boomers, celebrity observers and space enthusiasts, this launch has brought invaluable star power to Bezos’ spaceship company. Shatner starred in the original TV “Star Trek” from 1966 to 1969, when the United States was competing for the moon and continued to appear in a series of Star Trek movies.
Bezos personally drove the four people to the tarmac, accompanied them to a platform high above the ground, and closed the hatch after they boarded the 60-foot rocket. The new Shepard capsule is named after Alan Shepard, the first American to enter space.
“For all of us, seeing Captain James Tiberius Kirk go into space is a moment that makes me nervous,” Blue Origin launch commentator Jackie Cortez said before liftoff . She said that, like many others, she was attracted to the space business by shows like “Star Trek.”
The flight took place just as space tourism finally took off, with passengers in ships built and operated by some of the richest people in the world.
Blue Origin’s first manned flight took place in July [File: Tony Gutierrez]Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic took the lead in space on his own rocket ship in July. Nine days later, Bezos and the crew carried out the Blue Origin (Blue Origin). Origin)’s first flight. Elon Musk’s SpaceX made its first private voyage in mid-September, but there was no Musk on board.
Last week, the Russians sent an actor and a film director to the International Space Station for a film production project.
“We have just started, but how amazing this beginning is. How unusual it is to be a part of that beginning,” Shatner said in the Blue Origin video released on the eve of the flight.
Shatner teamed up with Blue Origin vice president and former NASA space station flight controller Audrey Powers and two paying customers: Chris Boshuizen, a former NASA engineer, co-founded a satellite company and Glen de Vries. Blue, a 3D software company. Origin will not disclose the cost of their tickets.
Last week, Shatner made fun of his upcoming flight at the New York Comic Con. The actor said that Blue Origin told him that he would become the oldest person in space.
“I don’t want to be called the oldest person in space. I am the damn Captain Kirk!” he exclaimed. Then he stammered in a voice pretending to be panic, “Captain Kirk, go where no one is-what am I going to? Where am I going?”
He admitted, “I am Captain Kirk and I am scared.”
Aside from jokes, Blue Origin said that Shatner and other crew members met all medical and physical requirements, including the ability to quickly climb up and down a few steps on the tower. When the capsule returns to the earth, the passengers will experience nearly six times the gravity, which is six times the gravity of the earth.
Bartender Joseph Barra, who flew in from Los Angeles to help meet the Blue Origin launch week celebrations, said that Shatner’s shot into space was “I think the worst thing I have ever seen.” “William Shatner set the standard for the abilities of 90-year-olds.”
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