Space & Astronomy

William Shatner successfully soars into space

By T.K. Randall
October 13, 2021

Image: William Shatner
Credit: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0 (adapted) Shatner, who famously played Star Trek's indomitable Captain James T. Kirk, may have been used to boldly going where no man has gone before on TV, but now he has paid a visit to the final frontier for real - making him the oldest person ever to venture into space.

The mission, which launched from the Texas desert this morning, was also carrying Blue Origin executive Audrey Powers, former NASA engineer Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries - the chief executive of clinical research firm Medidata Solutions.

The launch and subsequent flight went without a hitch, with the booster stage separating and landing successfully shortly before the capsule which touched down after a flight lasting around 11 minutes.Shatner described the flight as a "life-changing" experience.

Speaking to Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, he described the sensation of seeing the safety of the Earth's blue sky disappearing beneath him as the rocket ascended.

"Everybody in the world needs to do this," he said. "It was unbelievable."

To watch the launch for yourself, skip to 1:25:00 in the livestream below.




Tags: William Shatner, Blue Origin