奇速英语

The Star Trek actor William Shatner and three other passengers flew about 106 kilometers over the desert of western Texas to the edge of space. The ship operates without a pilot. It spent about three minutes at zero gravity then safely returned to Earth by parachute. The flight lasted just over 10 minutes.

Shatner broke the record for the oldest person in space by eight years. Pilot Wally Funk set the earlier record in July, also on a Blue Origin rocket.

Science fiction fans enjoyed the chance to see the man best known as Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. “This is a pinch-me moment for all of us to see Captain James Tiberius Kirk go to space,” said Blue Origin launch commentator Jacki Cortese before liftoff. She said she, like many others, became interested in the space business because of shows like Star Trek.

Bezos is also a Star Trek fan. He once played an outer space creature in one of the later Star Trek movies. Shatner flew on the ship for free as his invited guest. The launch brings attention to Bezos’ space travel company.

Bezos himself drove the four passengers to the launch area. He closed the ship’s door after they climbed into the 18-meter rocket. And he was there to welcome the crew after the ship returned. “Hello, astronauts. Welcome to Earth!” Bezos said as he opened the door and was hugged by Shatner.

The space tourism industry is quickly growing. Many passengers without government spaceflight training have been able to fly into space recently.

After the flight, Shatner told Bezos that he gave him the most profound experience he can imagine. Through tears, the actor said, “I’m so filled with emotion about what just happened. It’s extraordinary. I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain what I feel now. I don’t want to lose it.”

本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写，未经书面授权，禁止复制和任何商业用途，版权所有，侵权必究！（作者投稿及时文阅读定制请联系微信：18980471698）