Blue Origin Skyrockets Tomorrow, Make First Space Tour

 

U.S. aerospace private company Blue Origin prepares to bring four astronauts who are civilians to launch into space, Tuesday (7/20/2021). These four men will cross the Karman line, which separates Earth's atmosphere from space for the first time. The July 20 moment marked the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. The four civilians will ride New Shepard and take off from the Blue Origin launch site in the Guadalupe Mountains, West Texas, USA. New Shepard is indeed designed for a tourist experience. For information, the New Shepard capsule can only hold six passengers, so Blue Origin can only launch a few people into space each year.

Blue Origin crew July 20, So, who are the 4 lucky civilians to travel this space? Reported by AFP, Monday (07/19/2021), here is a brief information of the four civilian astronauts. 

1. The billionaire, Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos (57) is a billionaire, the richest businessman in the world in modern history. He is the founder and shareholder of the world's largest most Amazon.com. Not only that, in 2000 Jeff also founded the spaceship company Blue Origin with the aim of one day building floating space colonies with artificial gravity where millions of people live and work. Now, the company is developing a rocket called New Glenn as well as a Moon vehicle that is expected to be part of NASA's Artemis program. "They've successfully launched 15 unmanned New Shepard flights and we've waited years to see when they'll start flying humans," Laura Forczyk, founder of space consulting firm Astralytical told AFP. Bezos' net worth is currently estimated at more than $200 billion.

2. Jeff Bezos' younger brother Mark Bezos 

Jeff Bezos' younger brother Mark Bezos, 51, was on the flight. Mark is a financier who leads the Bezos Family Foundation and works as a volunteer firefighter.

3. Wally Funk

At the age of 82, Wally Funk became the oldest astronaut ever. He waited 60 years for this moment. Reported by the BBC, for Funk who trained as a pilot, the flight operated by Bezos's space company, Blue Origin, was a reward for the work he had done for life. "When I started flying, I wanted to be in heaven," Funk told the BBC two years ago, of his undying desire to fly. Funk took his first flying lesson at the age of nine, excelling in the Mercury 13 project intended to train women into space using the same standards as male astronauts. But the program was eventually cancelled. Nevertheless, she had a successful career in aviation, becoming the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, and serving as chief pilot at several aviation schools.

4. Dutch Teen Oliver Daemen 

Oliver Daemen, 18, will become the youngest astronaut. He holds a private pilot's license and is a space enthusiast who will study physics at the university this fall. The Dutch teenager replaced the anonymous $28 million public auction winner, who will make his next trip. According to a CNBC report, Daemen's ticket to space with Blue Origin was paid for by his father.