Showing posts with label New Shepard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Shepard. Show all posts

October 13, 2021

Blue Origin New Shepard Launch 10.13.2021

For all of my fellow Trekkies around the world - we no longer need to lurk in the shadows because as of today, William Shatner has become the oldest person to travel into space (for a few brief minutes) at the age of 90. The first spaceship captain portrayed in the long-running series Star Trek, watching the Blue Origin rocket carry Captain Kirk into space today was nothing short of inspiring.

Waiting for the launch to start, all I could think was “this is SO cool!” I remember that the Star Trek series and the many exploration possibilities it proposed always awakened the dreamer in me - and I think watching the Blue Origin New Shepard launch today may have done the same. For a few minutes waiting for and watching the launch, I could let my stressors go and just wonder at the joy of floating above Earth.

How small everything must seem from up above. Space exploration is a collective human dream that has the power to unite us beyond borders and differences. Think about all of the young people watching the launch and how it could inspire them to explore, to create, and to dream. Imagine how space travel will become exponentially easier for the younger generations and become a norm for the human species.

Blue Origin’s New Shepard booster rocket is beautiful itself with a feather painted across and many shaped panels on the booster. It’s amazing how it lands itself, and the sound that the booster makes while landing is loud yet interesting. The capsule peacefully floated down with the assistance of several parachutes. Each movement of the New Shepard rocket components seemed like a choreographed ballet to bring the crew safely home.

As the capsule came down from space and the radio communications came back in, you could hear the crew laughing, and then you hear William Shatner’s voice say with excitement: “it’s unlike anything else!” Seeing our Earth from above must be an experience like none other...

As a Trekkie himself, Jeff Bezos greeted the newly minted astronauts as they exited the capsule. You can tell that Bezos adores Shatner from the way the two interact on screen. But what Trekkie doesn’t. Shatner spent several minutes talking about piercing through the atmosphere and into the unknown of space, overtaken by the immense joy felt by viewing the Earth from above. Traveling to space is truly a life-changing experience that is hard to describe in words.

With all this excitement over a launch to space, it reminds me of how we need to care for our Earth home. While we may venture to other planets and out into space, we must preserve our planet and work to take sustainable steps. Sustainability starts with our own personal actions every day, and whether we choose to waste the precious resources that our Earth provides for us.

One way that Blue Origin makes space travel more sustainable is by using reusable rocket components - most of the booster, crew capsule, parachutes, and other launch parts will be used again for many future launches, while in the past, used rocket components essentially became space trash or crashed down to Earth in small enough pieces that most people ignored the problem.

Thank you, Blue Origin and crew, for being a beacon of hope for our world.

New Shepard NS-14 lifts off from Launch Site One in West Texas. (January 14, 2021)
 
 #amberclee #BlueOrigin #StarTrek #WilliamShatner #JeffBezos

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