{"id":17571,"date":"2021-04-14T19:41:28","date_gmt":"2021-04-14T11:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/its-time-jeff-bezos-hails-blue-origins-fiery-rehearsal-for-crewed-suborbital-spaceflight\/"},"modified":"2021-04-14T19:41:28","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T11:41:28","slug":"its-time-jeff-bezos-hails-blue-origins-fiery-rehearsal-for-crewed-suborbital-spaceflight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/its-time-jeff-bezos-hails-blue-origins-fiery-rehearsal-for-crewed-suborbital-spaceflight\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s time\u2019: Jeff Bezos hails Blue Origin\u2019s fiery rehearsal for crewed suborbital spaceflight"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jeff
Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, checks out the New Shepard suborbital rocket booster on its landing pad. (Blue Origin via Instagram)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture flew a mannequin into space today during the 15th test flight for its New Shepard reusable suborbital spaceship \u2014 but for the first time, living, breathing humans practiced all the steps leading up to launch and following landing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is as real as it can get without \u2026 sending them on a trip to space,\u201d launch commentator Ariane Cornell said during the countdown to liftoff from Blue Origin\u2019s Launch Site One in West Texas.<\/p>\n

Bezos was more succinct in an Instagram post from the scene. \u201cIt\u2019s time,\u201d the billionaire wrote. He followed up on that assessment with Blue Origin\u2019s motto: \u201cGradatim Ferociter,\u201d which is Latin for \u201cStep by Step, Ferociously.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to testing the rocket and rehearsing the on-the-ground procedures for flying passengers, Blue Origin provided a sneak peek at its arrangements for future crewed spaceflights.<\/p>\n

During the actual test flight, New Shepard went through its standard mission profile, rising to a height beyond 100 kilometers (62 miles), the \u201cKarman Line\u201d that serves as the international boundary of outer space. The capsule\u2019s maximum altitude was 347,574 feet (105 kilometers).<\/p>\n

At the end of the trip, New Shepard\u2019s booster touched down autonomously on its landing pad, while the uncrewed crew capsule landed with the aid of its parachutes and retro rockets.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just such a gentle landing right there,\u201d Patrick Zeitouni, who leads Blue Origin\u2019s advanced development program, said just after touchdown.<\/p>\n

\"New
A drone\u2019s-eye view shows Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard spaceship rising from its West Texas launch pad. (Blue Origin via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blue Origin said the test mission, known as NS-15, was a success \u2014 but today, the focus was on the human factors that came into play before and after the 10-minute, 10-second flight.<\/p>\n

Four Blue Origin employees rode an SUV out to the launch pad and walked up the seven flights of stairs to the top of the launch tower for today\u2019s rehearsal. They were New Shepard designer Gary Lai; chief financial officer Susan Knapp; Audrey Powers, vice president of legal and compliance; and Clay Mowry, vice president for sales, marketing and customer experience.<\/p>\n

Lai and Powers went further into the pre-launch plan, and were strapped into New Shepard\u2019s seats by Kevin Sproge \u2014 who filled the role of launch pad guide, also known as \u201cCrew Member 7.\u201d<\/p>\n