{"id":17475,"date":"2021-10-11T21:58:48","date_gmt":"2021-10-11T13:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/william-shatners-space-trek-is-turning-up-a-spotlight-on-blue-origins-highs-and-lows\/"},"modified":"2021-10-11T21:58:48","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T13:58:48","slug":"william-shatners-space-trek-is-turning-up-a-spotlight-on-blue-origins-highs-and-lows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/william-shatners-space-trek-is-turning-up-a-spotlight-on-blue-origins-highs-and-lows\/","title":{"rendered":"William Shatner\u2019s space trek is turning up a spotlight on Blue Origin\u2019s highs and lows"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_647797\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-647797\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-647797\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/211011-blue-630x630.jpg\" alt=\"New Shepard crew portrait\" width=\"630\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/211011-blue-630x630.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/211011-blue-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/211011-blue-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/211011-blue-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/211011-blue.jpg 1210w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-647797\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Future suborbital spacefliers Audrey Powers, William Shatner, Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries pose in front of Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard spaceship. (Blue Origin Photo via Instagram)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Star Trek captain William Shatner\u2019s scheduled suborbital space trip is bringing a renewed flood of attention to Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture \u2014 but like a movie reboot, the storyline is more complex the second time around.<\/p>\n<p>Three months after Bezos took a seat on his company\u2019s first-ever crewed spaceflight, Shatner\u2019s celebrity is sparking a string of feel-good interviews, with his three fellow fliers playing supporting roles. Tech entrepreneurs Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries are paying undisclosed fares. Like Shatner, Audrey Powers, Blue Origin\u2019s vice president for New Shepard mission and flight operations, is flying for free.<\/p>\n<p>The foursome are scheduled to lift off from Launch Site One in West Texas at 9 a.m. CT (7 a.m. PT) Wednesday, aboard Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard suborbital spaceship. They\u2019re in the midst of a couple of days of pre-launch training, documented on this morning\u2019s network news shows.<\/p>\n<p>Most of the interviews touched upon the one-day delay in the flight due to a forecast of unacceptable winds for Tuesday, but during the CBS interview, Shatner also volunteered a shout-out to Bezos\u2019 long-term vision of having millions of people living and working in space.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJeff Bezos\u2019 concept of doing all this is to build industry, homes, to live in close connection with Earth and function close to Earth,\u201d Shatner said on CBS. \u201cAnd that\u2019s a vision that I think is very practical and worth getting behind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Blue Origin crew, including &quot;Star Trek&quot; actor William Shatner, on this week's rocket launch\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ukZa5JeIPRQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<iframe title=\"Blue Origin Postpones William Shatner\u2019s Space Flight Due To High Winds\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZPboYuhPTyE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<span class=\"mejs-offscreen\">Video Player<\/span><mediaelementwrapper id=\"video-647744-2\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-647744-2_html5\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" preload=\"metadata\" src=\"https:\/\/abcnewsvod-a.akamaihd.net\/playback\/abcnews\/2021\/10\/211011_gma_benitez_shatner_0738_700.mp4?_=2\" style=\"width: 640px; height: 360px;\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/abcnewsvod-a.akamaihd.net\/playback\/abcnews\/2021\/10\/211011_gma_benitez_shatner_0738_700.mp4?_=2\">https:\/\/abcnewsvod-a.akamaihd.net\/playback\/abcnews\/2021\/10\/211011_gma_benitez_shatner_0738_700.mp4<\/video><\/mediaelementwrapper><span class=\"mejs-overlay-loading-bg-img\"><\/span><button type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"mep_0\" title=\"Play\" aria-label=\"Play\" tabindex=\"0\"><\/button><span class=\"mejs-currenttime\">00:00<\/span><span class=\"mejs-time-total mejs-time-slider\" role=\"slider\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Time Slider\" aria-valuemin=\"0\" aria-valuemax=\"387.369333\" aria-valuenow=\"0\" aria-valuetext=\"00:00\"><span class=\"mejs-time-buffering\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><span class=\"mejs-time-loaded\" style=\"transform: scaleX(0.0139144);\"><\/span><span class=\"mejs-time-current\" style=\"transform: scaleX(0);\"><\/span><span class=\"mejs-time-hovered no-hover\"><\/span><span class=\"mejs-time-handle\" style=\"transform: translateX(0px);\"><span class=\"mejs-time-handle-content\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"mejs-time-float\"><span class=\"mejs-time-float-current\">00:00<\/span><span class=\"mejs-time-float-corner\"><\/span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"mejs-duration\">06:27<\/span><button type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"mep_0\" title=\"Mute\" aria-label=\"Mute\" tabindex=\"0\"><\/button><span class=\"mejs-offscreen\">Use Up\/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.<\/span><button type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"mep_0\" title=\"Fullscreen\" aria-label=\"Fullscreen\" tabindex=\"0\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What does William Shatner think of being called an astronaut?\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5piWUfg1e8g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"'Star Trek's' Shatner on blasting into space at 90-years old\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LbuLt2_NWPY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s scheduled flight is just one small step toward Bezos\u2019 vision: Like the first crewed flight in July, it\u2019ll involve going up to a height beyond the 100-kilometer (62-mile) space boundary for a few minutes of weightlessness and a picture-window view of the curving Earth beneath the black sky of space.<\/p>\n<p>The trip is due to last about 10 minutes, ending with the autonomous landing of the rocket booster and the parachute-aided touchdown of the crew capsule. Shatner, who at 90 is in line to become the world\u2019s oldest spaceflier, will have to endure several G\u2019s of acceleration. But the experience is far less intense than, say, the three-day orbital flight that billionaire Jared Isaacman and his three crewmates took in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule last month.<\/p>\n<p>Shatner\u2019s stardom \u2014 and the fact that his suborbital space trip is coming courtesy of one of the world\u2019s richest individuals \u2014 are among the factors that have brought this week\u2019s flight out of the domain of space developments and into the media mainstream. The event has also brought Jeff Bezos (and his companion Lauren Sanchez) more deeply into the social media mainstream as well:<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"instagram-media instagram-media-rendered\" id=\"instagram-embed-0\" src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CU5Tl9kl8nz\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=987&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com&amp;rp=%2F2021%2Fwilliam-shatners-space-trek-turning-spotlight-blue-origins-highs-lows%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A1784.5499999821186%7D\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"988\" data-instgrm-payload-id=\"instagram-media-payload-0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"background: white; max-width: 658px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); box-shadow: none; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 684px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1447563576986804229&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2021%2Fwilliam-shatners-space-trek-turning-spotlight-blue-origins-highs-lows%2F&amp;sessionId=f88184bacc9159bcd1474dc7b3fc9a916e90ab8e&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1447563576986804229\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>At the same time, the fresh wave of attention serves to highlight the challenges that Blue Origin is facing on other fronts.<\/p>\n<p>Some of those challenges were known when Bezos flew in July: the delays in developing the next-generation BE-4 rocket engine and the orbital-class New Glenn rocket, plus the failure to win continued NASA funding for a lunar landing system. But since July, Blue Origin has also had to deal with allegations of sexual harassment and questions about flight safety.<\/p>\n<p>During a CNN interview, Powers specifically addressed the safety question. \u201cWe\u2019ve very methodically moved to these human flights that we\u2019ve just started recently, and safety has always been \u2026 our top priority,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>A newly published Washington Post report expands upon claims that Blue Origin\u2019s managers fostered an \u201cauthoritarian bro culture\u201d \u2014 and cites concerns about \u201ca lack of intervention from Bezos.\u201d There are also reports that Bezos is devoting more time and attention to the situation at Blue Origin now that he\u2019s stepped down from his role as Amazon\u2019s CEO.<\/p>\n<p>Competition with SpaceX, which has had far more success on the space frontier, is said to be one of the motivating factors for Bezos. \u201cHe\u2019s super jealous of SpaceX,\u201d the Post quoted an unnamed industry official as saying.<\/p>\n<p>Bezos obliquely addressed the controversy in one of his latest tweets, which featured a screenshot of a 1999 Barron\u2019s magazine cover skewering \u201cAmazon.Bomb\u201d at a time when the company\u2019s adjusted share price was ranging between $40 and $100. (Current share price, on an adjusted basis, is in excess of $3,200.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cListen and be open, but don\u2019t let anybody tell you who you are,\u201d Bezos tweeted. \u201cThis was just one of the many stories telling us all the ways we were going to fail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 849px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1447403828505088011&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2021%2Fwilliam-shatners-space-trek-turning-spotlight-blue-origins-highs-lows%2F&amp;sessionId=f88184bacc9159bcd1474dc7b3fc9a916e90ab8e&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1447403828505088011\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In reply, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted a single emoji: a second-place medal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Future suborbital spacefliers Audrey Powers, William Shatner, Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries pose in front of Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard spaceship. (Blue Origin Photo via Instagram) Star Trek captain William Shatner\u2019s scheduled suborbital space trip is bringing a renewed flood of attention to Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture \u2014 but like a movie [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[509,1046,1250,493,4631,4402,4438],"class_list":["post-17475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-blue-origin","tag-jeff-bezos","tag-new-shepard","tag-space-tourism","tag-star-trek","tag-suborbital-spaceflight","tag-william-shatner"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17475"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17475\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}