The mannequin suffered no damage during its trip to the edge of space. Image Credit: Blue Origin
Private space firm Blue Origin has completed a successful test launch of its rocket and crew capsule.
The New Shepard suborbital spacecraft, which is being designed with space tourism in mind, blasted off from the company's West Texas launch site on Tuesday carrying a sensor-laden dummy named 'Mannequin Skywalker' in honor of a familiar character from the Star Wars franchise.
The capsule, which has been equipped with large windows to offer future passengers a breathtaking view, soared to an altitude of 98km before separating from the rocket and parachuting back down.
The booster stage also came in for a controlled landing on the launchpad.
Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos later stated that the dummy 'had a great ride'.
This is remarkable footage, to say the least. Totally professional test mission. Very impressive! Note: I am accepting donations to buy a future ticket that I might be the first dolphin in space...
well i hope that's the case though there's no way it can totally block radiation even with that but i suppose that'd still lessen exposure by a fair amount
The space station has windows, Orion will have windows, the crew Dragon will have windows, the CST-100 Starliner will have windows, the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo will have windows, the space shuttle had windows, Apollo had windows... I am sure you see an emerging pattern here. If just about every crewed spacecraft in history has had windows why do you think it is an issue on the New Shepard?
Hopefully the costs associated with space tourism will come way down, so that somebody can finally shut down the flat earth scam artists who are making money off of unfortunate folks who aren't quite smart enough to grasp the concept of a globe earth and gravity etc. I laugh when FE scammers tell people that they are stupid and gullible people and also sheep for following scientists and their evidence, and then in the next sentence they say "follow me!" Hmmmm, am I gonna follow a guy with questionable grammar named "Ritchie from Boston" or a scientist who builds nuclear reactors, Particle ... [More]
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