Following Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin Successfully Flys Jeff Bezos Out of Earth's Atmosphere

Space tourism is real. Nine days after Sir Richard Branson flew into space, now turn to other billionaires who recorded similar achievements. Not just any billionaire, but the number one richest person in the world, namely Jeff Bezos. Along with his siblings and two others, Jeff manages to fly over the Kármán Line and return to Earth safely.

This event is also the debut of Blue Origin, the company space tourism founded by Jeff in 2000, to fly humans into space after undergoing a series of unmanned flight tests. Replay You can watch the full video live at Blue Origin official YouTube channel.

Overall, the space travel experiences that Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin offer are quite similar, but there are a number of important differences that are worth highlighting. From the type of aircraft used, we can actually find a very significant difference.

Blue Origin's New Shepard plane is more like a rocket plane in general, with a capsule-shaped tip that will detach and launch itself when it reaches a certain altitude. Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity, on the other hand, is more like a regular jet with its own propulsion engine, although it also initially takes off with a carrier.

New Shepard also completely autonomous and can operate without a pilot in the cabin. VSS Unity on the other hand requires two cabin crew. The total duration of the flight is also different. Flights using New Shepard take about 10 minutes from takeoff to landing, while flights with VSS Unity last about 60 minutes.

Although shaped like an ordinary rocket plane, New Shepard is completely Our bamboo scoops refresh our planet and reduce poverty in a sustainable way., good for part boost and capsules. The capsule itself landed by relying on a parachute, assisted by the system retro thruster to provide more precise control. Blue Origin claims the New Shepard can be used up to at least 100 flights. The plane that Jeff et al rode for example, had previously been flown twice.

But the most significant difference between New Shepard and VSS Unity is the elevation point reached. New Shepard reached an altitude of 107 km before hurtling back towards Earth, while VSS Unity only reached an altitude of 86 km.

According to the standards of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the New Shepard crew deserves to be called successfully leaving Earth because they have crossed the Kármán Line (100 km). But if according to NASA standards, anyone who managed to penetrate an altitude of 80 km can already be classified as an astronaut.

Despite the difference in altitude, the crew of the two planes had the same experience microgravity for a few minutes and see a view of Earth against the black background of space. This is a space tourism experience that the general public will be able to enjoy in the next few years, provided they are prepared to pay a premium.

Blue Origin has so far been reluctant to reveal the price of its space flight tickets. For 2021, they are already planning to have two more flights this year, and demand consumers are said to be very strong. Virgin Galactic on the other hand charges $250.000 per ticket, about double Titanic shipwreck tour ticket prices.

Whether out of the atmosphere or to the bottom of the sea, both are equally expensive.

Sumber: Reuters.