From
soundstage to space: "Star Trek" actor Shatner
on board for Blue Origin rocket launch
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[October 05, 2021]
By David Shepardson and Jonathan
Allen
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) -William Shatner, the "Star Trek"
actor who found fame by pretending a Hollywood
soundstage was a spaceship exploring the galaxy,
will be launched to the edge of space for real
next week in a rocket built by Blue Origin,
billionaire Jeff Bezos' space company. |
Shatner, best known as Captain
Kirk in the original "Star Trek" television
series, will be part of a four-person crew
aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard launch vehicle
on the flight scheduled for the morning of Oct.
12, the company said on Monday.
"I've heard about space for a long time now,"
Shatner, 90, said in a statement released by
Blue Origin. "I'm taking the opportunity to see
it for myself. What a miracle."
In July, Bezos, the founder of Amazon, soared
about 66.5 miles (107 km) above the Texas desert
aboard a New Shepard launch vehicle and returned
safely to Earth.
Blue Origin said pioneering woman aviator Wally
Funk, 82, was the oldest person to reach space
when she joined Bezos on the July flight.
Shatner is set to break that record.
The actor is flying as a guest of Blue Origin,
but the company says it has also sold nearly
$100 million in tickets to paying customers,
though it has not said how many.
Shatner will be joined by Chris Boshuizen, a
former NASA engineer; Glen de Vries, a clinical
research entrepreneur; and Audrey Powers, a Blue
Origin vice president and engineer. It was not
immediately clear whether they were "Star Trek"
fans.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Oct/05/images/ads/current/farmers_bank_sda_FHI_2021.png)
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![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Oct/05/images/ads/current/safety-tip-daily-6.png) Bezos founded Blue Origin in
2000. New Shepard hurtled at speeds reaching
2,233 miles (3,595 km) per hour, exceeding the
Karman Line - 62 miles (100 km) straight up -
set by an international aeronautics body to
define the boundary between Earth's atmosphere
and space.
Shatner first played the role
of Captain James T. Kirk in 1966 in a television
franchise that many NASA astronauts credited
with igniting their love of space. He also
played the role in seven feature films.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Oct/05/images/ads/current/chuckglass_sda_FHI_2021.png)
On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration
said it would review safety concerns raised by
current and former Blue Origin employees who
said the company "often prioritizes execution
speed and cost reduction over the appropriate
resourcing to ensure quality."
Blue Origin said it promptly investigates any
misconduct concerns raised by employees and
stood by its safety record.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and
Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Dan
Grebler)
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