Jeff Bezos stunned by the beauty and fragility of the Earth during his space flight
Sylvie Claire / July 21, 2021
U.S. billionaire Jeff Bezos said he was stunned by the beauty and fragility of Earth when he saw the blue planet from space on Tuesday during his flight aboard his company's Blue Origin spacecraft.
Everyone who has been in space has said that it changed them and that they were amazed, stunned, by the Earth and its beauty, but also its fragility, and I completely agree, said the founder of Amazon at a press conference after his flight at an altitude of over 100 km.
The Earth is a fragile little thing and when we evolve on this planet, we do damage, Jeff Bezos said. It's one thing to recognize that, but it's another thing to see with your own eyes how fragile it really is.
This first manned flight by Blue Origin was also the first to carry a paying passenger, a new milestone for the space tourism industry.
The New Shepard booster, atop which was the capsule carrying Jeff Bezos and three passengers, took off Tuesday morningfrom the Texas desert.
Alongside the world's richest man were his brother Mark, 82-year-old aviation pioneer Wally Funk, and Blue Origin's first paying customer, 18-year-old Dutchman Oliver Daemen. He and Mrs. Funk became the oldest and youngest astronauts in history, respectively.
The capsule then separated from its thruster and the neo-astronauts spent a few minutes at an altitude of 107 km, beyond the internationally recognized limit between the Earth's atmosphere and space.
I loved every minute of it, I just wish it could have lasted longer, said Funk, adding that she can't wait to get back into space.