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The Blue Origin rocket carrying “Star Trek” actor William Shatner launched into the sky.
The Canadian-who will always be known by the sci-fi show’s “Long Distance” Legion as Captain James Tiberius Kirk-flew to the universe on the second manned mission of Blue Origin. The rocket lifted off from the company’s West Texas base.
Blue Origin executive Audrey Powers, Planet Labs co-founder Chris Boshuizen, and clinical research platform Medidata Solutions co-founder Glen de Vries joined the New Shepard rocket.
The journey lasts about 11 minutes and will see the crew fly over the Carmen Line-the internationally recognized space boundary, 62 miles (100 kilometers) high-and then the spacecraft floats back to Earth on a parachute, landing gently in the desert.
This is a replay of the company’s first manned flight in July, which includes owner Jeff Bezos, and is seen as a breakthrough moment for the emerging space tourism industry.
This time, almost all attention will be on Shatner, who will become the oldest astronaut in history at 90, even though his appearance implies that he is decades younger.
With the launch of the US space program, the interstellar voyage of the Star Trek Enterprise spacecraft under the command of Captain Kirk helped Americans turn their attention to the stars.
Screenwriter and Trek historian Marc Cushman told AFP: “Captain Kirk…for generations in the United States and around the world, he may represent the’last’ more than anyone else. boundary’.”
Shatner is also known for his work as attorney Denny Crane in “Boston Law” and others. He has talked about the sometimes difficult relationship with Star Trek and its fan culture in the past.
But in recent years, the actor has relied on the fame brought by his most famous role.
“It looks like this fictional character, Captain Kirk, has a lot of curiosity,” he said in a video posted by Blue Origin.
“Let us follow it and enjoy the journey.”
At the same time, for Blue Origin, the second mission in less than three months represents another step forward as it tries to establish itself as a leader in space tourism.
Boshuizen and Vries will bring the company’s total paying customers to three-although the price has not been disclosed.
Competition is heating up.
Virgin Galactic, which provides a similar experience of weightlessness for a few minutes and seeing the curvature of the earth from the universe, Launched its founder Richard Branson in July, A few days earlier than Bezos.
And in September, SpaceX sent four ordinary citizens In a three-day round-the-world trip-this is a more ambitious, but potentially much more expensive endeavor.
“We are just beginning – but how amazing this beginning is and how extraordinary it is to be a part of that beginning,” Shatner said in his video message.
For many space enthusiasts, Shatner’s voyage is the appropriate end of a pop culture phenomenon that has inspired generations of astronauts, scientists, and engineers.
According to writer Cushman, the show has a long-term relationship with NASA, and NASA scientists received early scripts to review its accuracy.
“These scientists, and almost everyone in these space agencies, are avid Star Trek observers, and they know that the popularity of the series will help stimulate interest and funding for the space program,” he said.
Another big fan: Bezos himself.
The Amazon founder shared on Instagram his “Star Trek” artwork created when he was 9 years old, including a communication device that influenced the design of flip phones decades later.
Bezos once said that Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant was inspired by the conversational computer on the Enterprise, and he even starred an alien in the 2016 movie “Star Trek” with an egg-shaped head.
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