What Jeff Bezos’ flight will look like in space and why it will be historic

Jeff Bezos is the richest man on Earth. Yes you are about to become the first to fly through space in your own spaceship on a 100% civilian flight.

Yes indeed announced today the Amazon founder, who plans to reach space on July 20 aboard his company’s Blue Origin ship New Shepard with his brother and other crew members, whose names are currently unknown.

“Seeing Earth from space changes you. Change your relationship to the planet, to Humanity. It is an Earth. I want to take this trip because it’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole life. It’s an adventure, it’s something great for me.he said in the Instagram post in which he announced the trip.

“What Jeff Bezos is going to do is parabolic flight, it’s suborbital flight”

“What Jeff Bezos is going to do is a parabolic flight, it’s a suborbital flight, which climbs up to 90/100 kilometers high and comes back to Earth. All in about 20 minutes”. The journalist specializing in history and space technology Diego Córdova detailed in Infobae that “four passengers will be in the capsule”.

The New Shepard rocket, named after astronaut Alan Shepard, who was the first to perform a suborbital flight in May 1961, “It will make a parabola and come back to Earth, it will not reach a full orbit”Cordoba explained.

And while specifying that “the capsule will not be put into orbit”, he stressed that “They are going to see the curvature of the Earth and for a moment they are going to be weightless”.

“They are going to see the curvature of the Earth and for a moment they are going to be weightless”

“The news is that the ship will be completely manned by civilians. A test flight was carried out recently without human beings, but the first will be on July 20 ”, He underlined the reference to the feat that will take place 52 years after man’s arrival on the moon. “If they are successful, it will be the first space flight entirely manned by civilians, without astronauts.”

Bezos will pave the way for what appears to be a year full of such adventures. In September, a SpaceX spacecraft is expected to take off on another 100% civilian flight planning to stay four to five days in space.

SpaceX is the name by which the American aerospace manufacturing and space transportation services company Space Exploration Technologies Corp., founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, is known.

About space tourism

What stands out most about Bezos’ flight is that the tycoon is boarding his own ship, in a sort of “vote of confidence” in space tourism.

Space tourism is 20 years old and was born when in April 2001 American billionaire Dennis Tito paid Russia $ 20,000,000 to spend a week in his space station.

“Behind Tito, there were others who paid for their seats; a total of nine people boarded the Russian-born Soyuz ship, which is currently being used to relieve the expeditions, ”said Córdova, who summed up: “From 15 years to this party, the private sector has burst into space business and NASA has called in companies, for example, to replace the astronauts on the space station.”

In 2011, “he continued,” when the ferry fleet – Discovery, Atraltis and Endeavor – was disrupted, American astronauts began their expeditions aboard the Russian Soyuz. NASA paid Russia 90 million for each seat, until it decided to call in private capital ”.

“Tourism already brings private capital to space activity; there are already companies dedicated to it “

Since May 2020, astronaut relays have been carried out by SpaceX’s Dragon Crew and NASA no longer needs the services of Russia.

This year’s news will continue in October, when the Soviet country sent actress Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko to the International Space Station in their Soyuz MS19 to film scenes from The challenge, which will be the first film ever to be shot in space.

“Tourism already brings private capital to space activity; There are already companies dedicated to this and the contribution of money shows that private activity is gradually replacing the special agencies – Córdova analysis -. Private companies have ventured into the activity, first with the postulate of lower costs and relays for astronauts and now with space tourism, with the profits from which they continue to invest in research.”.

The capsule atop the rocket that Bezos will board has large windows and can carry up to six people. Blue Origin has yet to say who the other passengers will be, but an auction is underway to secure a valuable ticket. Currently, the auction exceeds $ 2.8 million and continues to increase.

The auction is scheduled to close on June 10. Two days later, a final round will be held online and live among the participants already registered. Then the winner will be announced. The amount raised will be donated to a foundation created by Blue Origin, aimed at encouraging young people to work in the scientific sector.

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