The final frontier is here

William Shatner, Star Trek’s beloved Captain Kirk, boarded a Blue Origin space vehicle at 90 years old.

The space flight conducted by Blue Origin on October 13, 2021 https://www.blueorigin.com/ consisted of Shatner and three other crew.

Imagine a boy of 15 so enamored with science fiction that he dreamt of going into space one day. Inspired by Jules Verne, Wernher von Braun drew a space capsule that could carry man into space in his notebook.

What stirred the imagination in that boy ushered in the beginnings of space flight as he became a rocket and space technology pioneer.

Pat Ammons, Senior Director of Communications at U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said, “It is an exciting day for space exploration. It’s one of the things that get people inspired by science fiction.” https://www.rocketcenter.com/

“For many, Captain Kirk personifies the possibilities of space exploration, so it was a thrill to watch William Shatner experience in real life what his character did on the screen.

Science fiction has long fueled the imagination of future engineers, scientists, and astronauts. In fact, Dr. Wernher von Braun read Jules Verne and H.G. Wells as a child, and by age 15 was visualizing what an astronaut would need to travel to space. We have his notebook with a drawing of the inside of a capsule in our collection and on display here at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and it’s fascinating to think of how this boy would go on to develop the rocket that would take America to the moon. As NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s official visitor center, we have on display the National Historic Landmark Saturn V rocket and many other milestones in space exploration that grew from what was once seemingly mere fantasy. We want our Space Camp students to know that they, too, can change the future through that same passion for exploration. “

Ninety-four years later, again ripped from the pages of science fiction; William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the television series Star Trek, transitioned from screen to reality.

There are no swooshing doors in the New Shepard space capsule built and launched by Blue Origin, a company founded by Jeff Bezos of Amazon fame. There are tight, cramped quarters. Shatner shared his seat three across, little different than flying in coach.

His flight took him to the edge of space, where the sky turned from blue to black. Shatner commented on the thinness of our atmosphere, seen firsthand.

At ninety years old, Shatner is the oldest person to travel into space, beating Wally Funk by seven years.

The cost of space travel is currently out-of-reach for the average consumer. The future should bring lower costs, safety, reliability, and turn-around times that could allow the public a space-cation.

Shatner said to Bezos after the touchdown, “Everybody in the world needs to do this. Everybody in the world needs to see. That was unbelievable.”

“It was a fabulous experience for him; you could clearly see that when he got out of the capsule.”, “A transformational experience.” “That part is tremendous,” said Alan Ladwig, the Senior Advisor for STAR HARBOR Space Academy in Falls Church, Virginia. http://starharboracademy.com/

“You could see he was eloquent in his passion. Standing there for a moment [he] wasn’t quite sure of what he went through,” pointing out Shatner’s emotional response to the flight.

Mr. Landig authored The Space Flight Participant Program - Taking the teacher and classroom into space for NASA in 1985, leading the way for private citizens to experience spaceflight.

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19860031168

Pointing out that there is no way to know for sure. Landig estimates it is still 5-10 years away before space flight becomes reasonably affordable and reaches the mass-market phase.

He went on to say that Shatner contributed more to stirring the imagination for space travel than previous astronauts. Astronauts are trained to be composed and analytical. Statements are often prepared in advance. They didn’t admit they were scared during a launch. We were missing that emotional connection.

“I hope I never recover from this,” Shatner pronounced.

David Hitt, author of 'Homesteading Space: The Skylab Story'" commented on today’s notable flight, saying:

"In 1966, we met Captain Kirk, brought to life by William Shatner, boldly going into the final frontier on 'Star Trek.' Two years later, we got a different view of the future in '2001: A Space Odyssey,' which gave us a murderous computer, a journey into the outer solar system, and a vision of a day you could buy a commercial ticket to outer space. Twenty years after the real year 2001, we don't have human missions to Jupiter or, thankfully, murderous computers, but we have finally realized that vision of being able to buy a commercial ticket to outer space. In a very real way, that accomplishment owes a debt of gratitude to William Shatner – there have been, literally, generations of space industry engineers who were inspired on their journey to Star Trek. So how awesome and appropriate is it that as we finally live in the future, we were promised to back in the late '60s, Captain Kirk got to play a role in ushering it in?"