William Shatner The Commander from "Star Trek" Became The Oldest Man Ever to Travel to Space
William Shatner, the actor who spent four decades playing Captain Kirk, the fearless commander of the USS Enterprise in "Star Trek", literally headed towards the stars.
He boarded New Shephard, an executive tourist spacecraft made by Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin.
The flight was originally scheduled for yesterday but was postponed to today due to weather conditions.
"The only thing about age that has application to this particular vehicle is getting in and out of the seat with any kind of arthritis," the actor who played Captain James Kirk told reporters yesterday.
Picture Source: Twitter/Blue Origin
The famous commander of the USS Enterprise rode alongside three other passengers in the amazing journey in the real life: Blue Origin team member Audrey Powers, Dr. Chris Boshuizen of Planet Labs, and Glen de Vries, co-founders of Medidata.
The spacecraft grazed the edge of outer space before parachuting to a landing. The suborbital flight lasted around 10 minutes from take-off to landing, with about three minutes of weightlessness.
"What you have given me is the most profound experience, I am so filled with emotion, just extraordinary. I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain what I feel now," Shatner told Jeff Bezos after emerging from the capsule.
The mission, known as NS-18, was launched from the Blue Origin Center in Texas, near the city of Van Horn. This is the second manned launch aboard the New Shepard and the 18th flight of the vehicle.
The first manned mission was launched on July 20. At that time, billionaire Jeff Bezos, who is a lifelong "Star Trek" fan, his brother, veteran pilot Wally Funk, and student Oliver Daemen arrived in suborbital space.
He boarded New Shephard, an executive tourist spacecraft made by Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin.
The flight was originally scheduled for yesterday but was postponed to today due to weather conditions.
"The only thing about age that has application to this particular vehicle is getting in and out of the seat with any kind of arthritis," the actor who played Captain James Kirk told reporters yesterday.
A Dream Come True for the USS Enterprise Commander
Today, William Shatner's dream came true. At age 90, he became - officially - the oldest man ever to travel to space.Picture Source: Twitter/Blue Origin
The famous commander of the USS Enterprise rode alongside three other passengers in the amazing journey in the real life: Blue Origin team member Audrey Powers, Dr. Chris Boshuizen of Planet Labs, and Glen de Vries, co-founders of Medidata.
The spacecraft grazed the edge of outer space before parachuting to a landing. The suborbital flight lasted around 10 minutes from take-off to landing, with about three minutes of weightlessness.
An Extraordinary Experience
"That was unlike anything they described," Shatner could be heard saying on the flight live stream just before landing, according to CNN."What you have given me is the most profound experience, I am so filled with emotion, just extraordinary. I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain what I feel now," Shatner told Jeff Bezos after emerging from the capsule.
The mission, known as NS-18, was launched from the Blue Origin Center in Texas, near the city of Van Horn. This is the second manned launch aboard the New Shepard and the 18th flight of the vehicle.
The first manned mission was launched on July 20. At that time, billionaire Jeff Bezos, who is a lifelong "Star Trek" fan, his brother, veteran pilot Wally Funk, and student Oliver Daemen arrived in suborbital space.
