"Star Trek's" William Shatner will be included in Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin's next space flight. The space is scheduled for October.
Star Trek's Captain to Join Next Space Flight
According to TMZ, Shatner will be the oldest person to fly in space if the plan pushes through. The actor is 90 years old, and he would beat the record currently held by Wally Funk, an 82-year-old aviation pioneer. Funk was a part of the first crew that flew to space in July via Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft.
Both Blue Origin and William Shatner confirmed TMZ's report, but the entertainment publication stated that the news came from their trusted sources.
Shatner played Captain James T. Kirk in the "Star Trek" TV series and movies back in 1966. His space experience on TV makes the possibility of him going to actual space exciting for fans of the show.
The world's richest man also played a part in "Star Trek's" production. He had a cameo as an alien Starfleet officer that only lasted for a couple of seconds in the movie "Stark Trek Beyond."
The New Shepard spaceship that is scheduled to launch next month will carry the next batch of people who wants to experience what it is like in space.
Taking a ride on the spaceship would involve climbing into a crew capsule. The launch will be held at Blue Origin's spaceport in West Texas to an altitude of more than 100 kilometers or 62 miles.
Shatner and other people who will ride the spacecraft with him would have a few minutes of floating in zero-G so they can enjoy the view of the black sky over a curving Earth. They would then descend to a landing in the Texas desert that a parachute will aid.
Training for a suborbital mission on Blue Origin only lasts for a couple of days. The space flight lasts only 10 minutes. That is shorter compared to the time frame given by SpaceX for its Inspiration4 space mission.
Inspiration4's four crew members went through months of training, and the flight lasted three days.
TMZ added that both parties are currently working on a deal to film the mission for an exclusive documentary. It is unknown whether Bezos invited the actor like Funk was or he paid for his flight.
In July, it was reported that a seat in Blue Origin's spacecraft costs $28 million.
After the New Shepard flight, Blue Origin stated that the next mission was being planned for October, which suggests it won't take long to know if TMZ's sources are right.
Blue Origin's Testing
Blue Origin built a reusable rocket booster for its New Shepard spacecraft, according to CNBC. In August, it was reported that it was the booster's eighth mission.
The rocket booster and the capsule will fly the space firm's cargo missions. Blue Origin will rotate it with another booster and capsule for crew missions, according to GeekWire.
Once that is done, it will land back on Earth, and it is expected to drop in Texas, where Blue Origin's base is located.
Related Article: Blue Origin vs. Virgin Galactic: Differences of New Shepard and Unity-22 Spacecrafts from Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Sophie Webster
