Flight journey with the Bezos rocket involves soaring to space, experiencing weightlessness, and returning to Earth.
The New Shepard rocket, a pioneering vehicle designed for space tourism by Blue Origin, reached unparalleled heights on a recent mission. The six women onboard included Jeff Bezos' wife Lauren Sánchez, pop superstar Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and entrepreneur Kerianne Flynn.
This suborbital launch system, consisting of a booster rocket and a crew capsule, propelled vertically from a Blue Origin spaceport in the desert of West Texas. The booster, powered by a single BE-3PM engine, propelled the vehicle to speeds of around Mach 3, reaching an altitude above the Kármán line—officially considered the boundary of space at 100 kilometers high.
During the flight, the ladies experienced a few minutes of weightlessness while viewing Earth through the capsule's large panoramic windows. The capsule, accommodating up to six passengers in reclining seats, separated at apogee, allowing the occupants to float freely in zero gravity.
The flight was fully autonomous, with all functions controlled by onboard computers and monitored from the ground. After engine cutoff and booster separation, the booster returned to Earth for a vertical landing on a pad approximately 3.2 km from the launch site.
For safety, the crew capsule employs a sophisticated landing system. It descends by free-fall first, then deploys three parachutes to slow its descent. In the final moments before touchdown, solid retro-thrusters fire to reduce speed further, ensuring a gentle and cushioned landing on the desert surface.
The New Shepard rocket's design enables repeated use of both rocket and capsule, significantly reducing the cost and increasing the frequency of suborbital tourism flights. The flight lasted only 11 minutes, marking a significant milestone in the realm of space travel.
Interested individuals can apply for a seat on the New Shepard rocket via the official Blue Origin website. A deposit of $150,000 is required for an application, but the exact price for a seat remains undisclosed. It's worth noting that a previous participant won a seat at an auction for $28 million.
During the flight, the passengers did not have access to a toilet. Instead, all passengers wore diapers during the brief journey. Despite this, the historic flight marked the first time a rocket of this type carried a crew of all women, making it a groundbreaking moment for gender equality in space exploration.
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