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This flight reached two records: the oldest and the youngest man to have flown into space at the same time.
While waiting for permission to fly, four astronauts waited in a room housed in a special rocket launcher, a few tens of meters from the capsule itself. This room is also provided in case, for some reason, astronauts have to leave the capsule before getting up.
Approximately 25 minutes before the start, the astronauts moved to the capsule itself, each ritually piercing the bell installed along the way.
21 minutes before the flight, the radio connection was verified and after a few minutes the capsule hatch was closed and the capsule sealed.
The start was postponed several minutes for unannounced reasons, but at 4 pm 12 min. The New Shepard rocket successfully lifted off the ground.
After a few minutes, the rocket detached itself from the capsule and began to return to Earth, and the capsule continued to fly towards the so-called Karman line, which is 100 km above sea level and symbolically marks the limit of space. , and at 4 in the afternoon. 16 min. crossed it successfully.
4 pm 18 min. It was confirmed by radio that all the astornaus were feeling very well, with shouts of joy that could be heard inside the capsule. “You know, you have a very happy team here,” Bezos commented from the capsule.
4 pm 19 min. the Blue Origin rocket landed successfully and neatly on the landing pad.
4 pm 20 minutes. the descending capsule deployed parachutes and two minutes later landed in Texas, USA, on the ground, as mission leaders say, very exactly where planned.
4 pm 26 min. The technical staff arrived at the capsule with the task of bringing in the freshly baked astronauts.
4 pm 30 minutes. The capsule was opened, accompanied by applause, from which came Mark Bezos, Oliver Daemen, Wally Funk and Jeff Bezos.
Blue Origin has announced that it has two more flights scheduled for this year, with seven more awaiting next year.
How different it was from professional astronaut flights
But according to the Live Science portal, that space tourism is still very different from the flights of professional astronauts: this crew, who flew for the first time in a spacecraft, received only 14 hours of training in two days to comply with the Federal Aviation of US Administration (FAA)).
“Our training is comprehensive and the crew is prepared for everything you need to know about the vehicle,” Steve Lanius, Blue Origin’s chief flight director, said at a news conference Sunday.
The Blue Origin crew, who spent 11 minutes in flight, were trained to use the capsule through routine, ‘unusual’ and emergency procedures, as well as what professional astronauts are trained for, such as how to respond to a fire, how to wear emergency masks and urgently disembark the ship while still at the takeoff site
“The training culminated with a mission rehearsal covering five different scenarios and a final exam,” added the Blue Origin flight director.
With the exception of Mercury 13 aviator Wally Funk (who turned 82 this year), the crew members have had very little direct flight experience to date that could have been useful for space travel.
By comparison, even before certification for future spaceflight, a typical NASA astronaut (often selected from candidates with extensive experience working in an isolated or dangerous environment) is undergoing two-year “astronaut candidate” training.
Once assigned to the flight, a NASA astronaut typically trains for his mission from a few months to several years, depending on the length and complexity of the mission. For example, a typical TKS crew spends approximately two years in training, preparing for six months in space.
However, it is promised that there will be other NASA experiences that space tourists catered for in part of Blue Origin will receive; for example, they will have close ties with their team members on the “astronaut campus,” just like professional astronauts. Blue Origin will replicate the training on a reduced scale, during which professional astronauts will meet their team members before traveling into space.
The training will also be attended by a Blue Origin trainer called the “seventh crew member” (because unlike the first flight, all other New Shepard commercial flights should carry six people) and who will help tourists feel comfortable during training. , at the same press conference, said Ariane Cornell, astronaut and orbital sales manager for Blue Origin.
“There will be activities and classes, and they will also learn in the simulator that we have in our astronaut training center,” he said. – And they also go to the track. We want to make sure our astronauts feel good not only in the capsule itself, but also close to our Launch Site One infrastructure, as well as in front of a larger team.
However, this is all very different from the way NASA, ESA, Roskosmos and other space agencies operate. Of course, your goals are different. Meanwhile, the Blue Origin, like the Virgin Galactic led by Richard Branson, which recently made a similar first flight, will focus not on research but on space tourism.
