Captain Kirk Safely Goes To Space and Back (bbc.com) 108
New submitter pele writes: Captain Kirk alias William Shatner has just safely completed his first trip to space and back, and in the process has become the oldest person ever to have been to space. More news and coverage at BBC and Evening Standard. Blue Origin took the 90-year-old just about 60 miles (100km) above the Earth's surface where those aboard got to experience a short period of weightlessness. The trip only lasted about 10 minutes.
"Everybody in the world needs to do this," the Canadian actor told Mr Bezos after landing back on Earth. "It was unbelievable." In tears, he added: "What you have given me is the most profound experience. I'm so filled with emotion about what just happened. I hope I never recover from this. I hope I can retain what I feel now. I don't want to lose it."
"Everybody in the world needs to do this," the Canadian actor told Mr Bezos after landing back on Earth. "It was unbelievable." In tears, he added: "What you have given me is the most profound experience. I'm so filled with emotion about what just happened. I hope I never recover from this. I hope I can retain what I feel now. I don't want to lose it."
but he's not an astronaut (Score:5, Funny)
Rumor has it that when they reached the apex of their climb it had to be explained to Mr. Shatner that they're not going high enough to actually become astronauts. Furious that he was mislead he whipped out his phone, dialed Bezos, and shouted "CON"!!
Would've been funnier if he yelled "KHAN"! (Score:1)
There fixed it for you.
Re:Would've been funnier if he yelled "KHAN"! (Score:4, Informative)
Your homonym parser is broken.
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You really didn't.
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It's taken a lot of the magic out of going to space for me. Used to be you had to train hard and bring some useful skill to the crew, now it's just a joyride for rich arseholes.
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Why "assholes"?
It used to be that only rich people could afford to fly. Now most people here have done it. Were those people "assholes", too?
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Bezos and Branson are both arseholes.
Bezos in particular dodges tax and now has so much money he doesn't know what to do with it, so spends it on space joyrides while his employees pee in a bottle.
But he's not Kirk! (Score:2)
Welcome back, Captain. (Score:5, Interesting)
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He looks like he's struggling to get out of his seat to have a good look out the window, but everyone else is too busy already looking out theirs to help him.
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He's in freefall - he actually has to expend effort to NOT leave his chair.
He's not struggling to get out, but to maintain control while doing so. Notice he continues to maintain a firm grip throughout the video, while everyone else is "flying"? He had his reasons. At 90 he'd probably be a *lot* more likely than most to hurt himself. Or at least look foolish in a video that would inevitably be seen by the world.
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'Oh wow!!' https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
We totally need to send George Takei up there so he can say "Oh, my!"
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Thank goodness he made it back safely, or I would have canceled my Amazon Prime!
I watched the whole thing (Score:3)
Amazing how fast and easy a space yo-yo trip can be.
They did get "astronaut" wing pins. 599 people so far into space. Here's to the next million.
And I guess I understand why the name is Blue Origin, instead of Amazon Space Services. /s
Re:I watched the whole thing (Score:4, Interesting)
Amazing how fast and easy a space yo-yo trip can be.
I couldn't help noticing when the speed indicator dropped to zero that they were moving about 17,000mph too slow. Just the size of the rocket really shows off the difference between height and speed if you want to stay up there.
Afterwards Mr. Shatner stated, "Everybody in the world needs to do this".
No, no, no.. He said "Everybody . . . in the world . . . . . needstodothis."
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Those were some neat trucks they drove to the launch site. Where they Cybertrucks?
i think they said they were Rivians:
https://rivian.com/ [rivian.com]
James Doohan's ashes belong in space (Score:1, Interesting)
Article mentions James Doohan's ashes were launched via Blue Origin.
I had the pleasure of working for Doohan's brother in law Fritz Braunberger at a tech firm called Intracom in the 90's. Much of the fawning over Mr. Doohan is undeserved from what Fritz has told me. He was an abusive husband, and on several occasions Fritz and his brother had to go to the Doohan residence
I'll probably get downvoted for posting that. Understandably people idolize the man and attribute him to them getting into tech, but re
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But what's the point in telling us that? So that we'll all enjoy his performances on screen a little less? I get that it's your celebrity anecdote, your brush with fame, but the article barely mentioned him.
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But what's the point in telling us that?
Postmodern attacks on anyone who is popular.
Asshole Syndrome (Score:1)
Some people just want to make life worse for everyone every day, in any way they can. His moment came to shine as it were.
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it was a character that played him
Was this in Soviet Russia?
Musk needs to get Uhura next! (Score:4, Informative)
Nichelle Nichols
1st black woman in space on tv (world?)
1st black woman to kiss a white guy on tv (USA; it was a thing)
1st non-astronaught black woman in space
5th black woman in space.
Oldest woman in space.
George could too... maybe 1st gay person?
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George could too... maybe 1st gay person?
Sally Ride. Or do you mean openly gay at the time of flight?
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She's in bad shape from what I hear. Dementia, conservatorship all kinds of things I wouldn't wish on anyone.
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She's in bad shape from what I hear. Dementia, conservatorship all kinds of things I wouldn't wish on anyone.
She's in even worse shape than that - she died in 2012.
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Google Wiki says she's not dead yet.
Interesting. Her Wikipedia page notes that she died of pancreatic cancer in 2012. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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Nichelle Nichols [wikipedia.org] is still alive, but is reportedly suffering from dementia. [latimes.com]
Sally Ride [wikipedia.org] passed in 2012 after a long bout with cancer.
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I think you two are arguing over different people: Nichelle Nichols [wikipedia.org] is still alive, but is reportedly suffering from dementia. [latimes.com] Sally Ride [wikipedia.org] passed in 2012 after a long bout with cancer.
DOH! Yes, that is correct. Thanks for the clarification. What's more, I can't find the post about Sally Ride I was replying to. But however this started, Nichols is still alive, and Ride is still dead.
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Nichelle Nichols 1st black woman in space on tv (world?) 1st black woman to kiss a white guy on tv (USA; it was a thing) 1st non-astronaught black woman in space 5th black woman in space. Oldest woman in space.
George could too... maybe 1st gay person?
It would be cool to get a vid of him looking out the spacecraft window, and saying "Oh MY!
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Nichelle Nichols
1st black woman in space on tv (world?)
1st black woman to kiss a white guy on tv (USA; it was a thing)
1st non-astronaught black woman in space
5th black woman in space.
Oldest woman in space.
George could too... maybe 1st gay person?
Don't forget that she was also a real-life jazz singer - sang with Duke Ellington.
We need to start a crowdfunder to send her and George Takei up there,
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It's a little late to try and get Nichelle into space. Last report, her mental faculties have been declining over the last few years and she would not likely be medically cleared for spaceflight. It's unfortunate, but maybe still a chance for Takei
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Because he was always pressured to get more power.
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Not doubting you, but worth remembering we owe him big for D-day. As Solzhenitsyzn said, the line between good and evil runs through every human heart.
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If we boycotted every entertainer who turned out to be an asshole we'd be spending all our free time playing Solitaire. Or posting to Slashdot.
paid? (Score:2)
"Everybody in the world needs to do this,"
You paying, Bill?
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In a small but significant way he just did.
How do you think space travel is going to become approachable for the masses if there's no investment in it's development?
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one has to stretch pretty far to describe what we just saw as "space travel".
More like a "press briefing".
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one has to stretch pretty far to describe what we just saw as "space travel". More like a "press briefing".
But normal non-astronauts hopped on a rocket, took off and got really high.
This is how things start.
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But normal non-astronauts hopped on a rocket, took off and got really high.
That's how a lot of great parties start...
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But normal non-astronauts hopped on a rocket, took off and got really high.
That's how a lot of great parties start...
That's what she said.
They (Score:2)
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"They say he returned but how do we really know it's the same person?"
He had still both hams in hand.
Re:They (Score:5, Informative)
He's not. Or at least probably not.
The Overview Effect [wikipedia.org] can have a profound effect on a person's psychological core. More people return from space for the first time forever changed by the experience than not.
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More people return from space for the first time forever changed by the experience than not.
I think that is why he did it. Money well spent. I hope we hear from Bill what the experience was like. We might learn a bit. I will forgive his acting style in Star Trek.
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Is it all three of him, or just one!??! And which one?
https://youtu.be/lul-Y8vSr0I [youtu.be] (Rocket Man)
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No goatee. (At least not on his face.)
They should have made Shatner wear a red shirt (Score:2)
Only a real man with balls of titanium would fly into space dressed like that.
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Obligatory Picard [pinimg.com] (SFW)
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The command uniforms in the Star Trek movies and later in Next Generation were red. Sort of counteracts the effect. For it to work, you apparently need to be a nameless crew member (nameless until the captain screams out your name when you die, anyway)
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the novel Redshirtsis must-reading (although it will never be mistaken for great literature, or anything such).
What happens when the redshirts start to realize what they are, and notice that many of them don't have backstories?
Sponsored by Depends adult diapers (Score:4, Interesting)
Congrats to Shatner, sincerely - he is pretty spry for 90 years old.
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Congrats to Shatner, sincerely - he is pretty spry for 90 years old.
My mother recently celebrated her 99th birthday. A major excursion is a trip in a taxi to the hairdresser. Still sharp as a pin mentally, thank goodness. Old folks are not useless, but sometimes our profit-driven world might make us think that.
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Congrats to Shatner, sincerely - he is pretty spry for 90 years old.
My mother recently celebrated her 99th birthday. A major excursion is a trip in a taxi to the hairdresser. Still sharp as a pin mentally, thank goodness. Old folks are not useless, but sometimes our profit-driven world might make us think that.
Bless her for sure. But she is a bit of an outlier. Anyhow, wish her many more.
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Congrats to Shatner, sincerely - he is pretty spry for 90 years old.
And could afford the trip into space. He lived long and prospered (RIP Nimoy).
No, not Rocket Man! (Score:2)
As long as he agreed not to "sing" during the trip, I'm okay with this.
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He also did "Lucy in the Sky" in the 70's.
Quote :-) (Score:2)
"I...saw...brilliant stars! It was...fantastic! I...shall...never forget! Kirk out."
Boldly going... (Score:3)
Where many have gone before...On his giant space-dildo!
The horniest captain goes to space in a (Score:1)
...ship shaped like a dick. Can't be coincidence.
"Don't tell me! You're from outer space." (Score:3)
It was impossible... (Score:2)
Blue Origin told Shatner it was impossible for someone his age to go.
So he changed the conditions of the test.
Space? (Score:2)
If 107km is space, than Windows is an OS.
To boldly go 107 km above earth surface! C'mon!
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Windows isn't an OS?
Re: Space? (Score:2)
No, it is not. When more than 50% available resources aren't available to users you loose the "os" badge and enter the hall of software shame.
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Is that codified somewhere, or your personal opinion of what qualifies as an OS?
Google seems to use a more basic definition: https://www.google.com/search?... [google.com]
Why does Captain Kirk’s wife smell ? (Score:1)
. . .
?
?
#
.
Because Williaam Shatner
An important lesson we'll never learn (Score:2)
A lesson as to why we should stop giving automatically celebrities a platform whence to share their "wisdom": He wanted to know what to do to save the world. He believed he could learn that by seeing the earth from a physically different location. His takeaway was "Everybody in the world needs to do this." Amazing.
Name your own price (Score:1)
fake news (Score:2)
Did not go into space. Just got high.
Google Location? (Score:1)
(And did he get ad services tailored to his location?)
The competition is on! (Score:1)
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