By Emma Nitzsche
On Monday, Jeff Bezos announced he would join the winner of Blue Origin’s auction and his brother on the New Shepard for its first passenger flight to space on July 20.
Over 6,000 people have placed a bid so far, with the highest bid currently sitting at $4 million.
The flight will depart just two weeks after Bezos is scheduled to step down as CEO of Amazon. The goal is to send passengers straight up to more than 62 mils above Earth, experience weightlessness for a few minutes, and descend. The total trip time will be 11 minutes.
But Bezos isn’t alone in his pursuit of space exploration, as Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic races to make suborbital travel more accessible. Additionally, Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon routinely carries astronauts from within the International Space Station.
When asked about who could endure a ride on SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, Elon Musk said, “if you can go on a rollercoaster ride, like an intense roller coaster ride, you should be fine for flying on Dragon.”
But this intense space rollercoaster ride comes with some serious risks.
In 2004, the U.S. Congress passed the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act, which only requires the informed consent of onboard crew and passengers. Essentially, if a person is willing to travel, they can go to space.
In 2014, the Virgin Galactic Spaceship Two was on a test flight when it crashed shortly after separating from the rocket. One of the two pilots on board died, and the other sustained significant injuries.
Regarding training, lawmakers, regulators, and industry experts debate the most appropriate ways to prepare for space travel. Blue Origin said prospective passengers must be able to climb seven flights of stairs in 90 seconds and fit into a spacesuit. The company will also provide training over two or three days to prepare travelers for the sensation of weightlessness.
Passengers planning to fly with the space companies must sign a form waiving their right to sue the company in the event of an accident. Understandably, the increased cost of space travel limits the number of trial runs and makes it inherently more dangerous than commercial airline travel.
Blue Origin has completed over 11 test flights and can fly without a human pilot. The company feels confident in its ability to send its CEO to space safely, but the risky endeavor still has a long way to go before it can the general public can safely enjoy a trip to the stars.
