90-Year-Old Star Trek Actor William Shatner Sent to Space on Blue Origin Rocket
- The actor said everybody should go on the trip to space because it is one of the best experiences in the world
- With the trip, the actor became the oldest person in space, having squashed a previous record held by aviator Wally Funk, 82
- Jeff Bezos was there to check on the actor and three other people who went to space with him moments after landing
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Legendary Hollywood actor William Shatner has written his name as the oldest person to ever go to the space.
The oldest person on space
This is a milestone the celebrated actor achieved after taking off to space onboard the famous Blue Origin sub-orbital capsule.
According to BBC, William, 90, who played the role of Captain James T Kirk in the movie took off from the Texas desert to the space alongside three other people.
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Briefly News has learnt William and the three other people used a rocket system developed by Amazon founder Billionaire Jeff Bezos on a trip that lasted about 10 minutes.
Several media outlets reported that the actor and his team landed safely in space.
The interesting bit about the whole trip is that William and those aboard the craft got the chance to experience a short moment of weightlessness as they climbed to a maximum altitude just about 100km.
While speaking to Jeff Bezos moments after landing on earth from the trip, the actor said that everyone in the world needs to experience the trip because it is one of the most interesting ones in the universe.
While in space, William and the three other people were able to see the curvature of the Earth through the capsule's big windows.
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Everyone should visit space
"Everybody in the world needs to do this. It was unbelievable." William said.
"What you have given me is the most profound experience. I'm so filled with emotion about what just happened. I hope I never recover from this. I hope I can retain what I feel now. I don't want to lose it." the Canadian actor added.
William and everyone who took the trip had earlier been given a couple of days' training although there was nothing big for them to do during the flight other than just enjoying it.
When the capsule carrying the four touched down in the Texan desert, it was quickly surrounded by teams on the ground.
Jeff Bezos himself opened the hatch of the capsule to check if everyone inside was safe and sound.
The crew who took the trip later lined up to receive their Blue Origin astronaut pins just moments after a short celebration with family and friends.
Second trip to space
Briefly News understands this was the second crewed trip for New Shephard.
As earlier reported by this site, the first one which took place on July 20, 2021, had Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark, Dutch teenager Oliver Daemen and revered aviator Wally Funk on board.
Following the trip, Wally Funk made it to history books as the oldest person in space, a record that has now been squashed by actor William Shatner.
It should be noted the launch to space came amid claims that Blue Origin has been promoting a toxic work culture and failed to observe proper safety protocols.
The company, however, denied the claims made by both former and present employees.
Source: Briefly News
Maryn Blignaut (Human-Interest HOD) Maryn Blignaut is the Human Interest manager and feature writer. She holds a BA degree in Communication Science, which she obtained from the University of South Africa in 2016. She joined the Briefly - South African News team shortly after graduating and has over six years of experience in the journalism field. Maryn passed the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course (Google News Initiative), as well as a set of trainings for journalists by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at: maryn.blignaut@briefly.co.za
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.