INTERNATIONAL: The world’s first space tourists have enjoyed a history-making trip, but it was short – exactly 10 minutes and 10 seconds. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ company “Blue Origin” successfully flew him and 3 other passengers 107 km up into the sky and back down to earth. It was a historic trip and one loaded with symbolism.
The date was no accident – 20 July – exactly 52 years to the day since Apollo 11 landed on the Moon in 1969. The Blue Origin capsule sat atop the New Shepard rocket, named after Allan Shepard, the first American in space. It carried Bezos and his brother, Mark, as well as the oldest person ever to fly into space – 82-year-old Wally Funk. It also carried the world’s youngest space traveller, 18-year-old Oliver Daeman, who’s dad spent $28-million on his ticket.
The four spent a total of just three minutes in zero gravity, before parachuting back down to earth. Bezos described it as the “best day ever". It came only 9 days after Virgin Galactic completed its first manned flight and wealthy people around the world are now ready to book their seats for an out of this world kind of holiday.
