The OG Captain James T. Kirk a.k.a. William Shatner has boldly gone where some notable people have gone before— space. The 90-year-old Star Trek actor has finally made it to space, all thanks to Blue Origin. Let’s look at his journey to space.
An Elite Few
Billionaires have taken their shot to launch themselves into space. Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos have been the notable names to get a taste of what it’s like to go into space. Many call this phenomenon, the Billionaire Space Race. But it’s not just billionaires who were lucky enough to blast off into the great unknown.
Recently, a team of private citizens aboard the SpaceX capsule, the Crew Dragon, made their way to see the millions of stars and view the planet we call home. This opens up an opportunity for future non-billionaires and space crew to have a chance to float in zero-gravity ships or capsules.
Of course, William Shatner has made it into this exclusive club, not only as one of the first few celebrities to make it into space. But, so far, he was the oldest to launch into space as well. Before his launch, the actor says he was “terrified” going there. Still, he has shattered records, and his launch with Blue Origin makes other celebrities in queue to go to space hopeful for their trip.
Possible Marketing Scheme
With many people aiming to launch into space, Joseph Czabovsky believes that William Shatner going into space does have implications; only a few can get the opportunity to experience space. Currently, one ticket to space costs around $100,000 and upwards of $55 million.
It could lead people to believe that only the wealthy may get a spot to launch into space. However, he also notes that ordinary citizens are hopeful for a chance to go to space in the future despite this perception.
The Final Frontier
On Oct 13, 2021, the Star Trek actor finally got the chance to launch into the Final Frontier. He, alongside other private citizens, made history and witnessed space.
Even if he broke records, it was clear there were some concerns over his safety, considering his old age. Several factors like g-force and the possibility of injury launching into space could affect the overall health of the actor. However, he managed to get through the grueling experience of the launch and was able to enjoy his time in space.
On one of the videos released by Blue Origin, Shatner was seen sitting by the window, gazing at and in awe of Earth. Everyone else aboard was floating around in zero gravity, having the time of their lives.
With all good things coming to an end, Shatner met up with the founder of Blue Origin and Amazon, Jeff Bezos. Having landed back on earth and in tears, he thanks the founder and says it was a “profound” and “extraordinary” experience going up there. Bezos even hugs the Boston Legal star for being emotional after his trip to space.
What’s Next in the Space Race
Despite concerns over William Shatner’s age, health, and safety, the space race is still on for many celebrities hopping in the trend. As reported by Business Insider, over 600 people have tickets reserved to launch off to space. Celebrities like Leonardo di Caprio, Tom Hanks, and Lady Gaga are speculated to have a seat and ticket aboard the Virgin Galactic.
It remains clear that the space race might turn into space tourism. After all, it’s not only big names that have tickets or flights to space. This could become profitable for companies like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, which can give other wealthy private citizens a chance to get views of our blue planet.
However, a nonprofit, Space For Humanity, aims to raise funds to help people go to space. Rachel Lyons, an executive of the nonprofit, believes that it’s their “responsibility” to give people access to space with the current technology. While only 0.01% of the entire population will have the means to fly off into space, she reports that over 4,000 people have applied to the nonprofit’s program to get sponsorships to launch into space.
