STAR Trek legend William Shatner is to be launched into space in around 30 minutes time to become the world’s oldest astronaut.
The 90-year-old, who played Captain James T Kirk in the sci-fi series said: “I’ve heard about space for a long time now.
"I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle.”The Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket mission comes 12 weeks after Blue Origin's first-ever crewed launch, which carried to space Jeff Bezos.
The launch has been delayed by wind for more than 24 hours but is currently scheduled to happen at 3pm UK time (10am EST).
Read our William Shatner Blue Origin live blog for live updates…
- Milica Cosic
Rocket awaits take off
Pictured below Jeff Bzos's Blue Origin rocket awaits take off with actor William Shatner on board.
We are about T-45 minutes from take off.
NINTCHDBPICT000686440085Credit: PBS/Youtube - Milica Cosic
Gusty winds still in question
The wind has been a question on everyone's minds these past few hours.
Hopefully the weather keeps well over the valley of West Texas.
- Milica Cosic
Jeff Bezos wishes Blue Origin crew ‘godspeed’
Blue Origin boss Jeff Bezos will be the only one heading up the launch tower with the crew today.
A few minutes ago, he tweeted: “You’re about to share an experience that will forever change how you view the world
“Godspeed. This is how it starts.”
- Milica Cosic
What to expect from the pre-launch?
Launch has now been pushed back to around 15:00GMT
Here’s what to expect over the next half hour:
T-44 mins: Go for astronaut load
T-40 mins: Drive to launch pad
T-38 mins: Ring road crew photo
T-36 mins: Tower ascent
T-31 mins: Crew ingress
T-29 mins: Hatch close
- Milica Cosic
Blue Origin crew set for coin ceremony
William Shatner and the rest of the New Shepard NS-18 crew are currently in the astronaut training facility, preparing for the launch.
They are about to partake in a coin ceremony that Blue Origin hopes to make a tradition for all future space tourism trips.
It will take place in less than an hour, and will see crew members presented with these coins.
Jeff Bezos and his team were also awarded theseahead of their first ever crewed flight three months ago.
- Milica Cosic
Media prepare
News media prepare for the launch of Blue Origin's NS-18 on October 13, 2021, from the West Texas region.
They are situated 25 miles (40kms) north of Van Horn.
NINTCHDBPICT000686437199Credit: AFP - Milica Cosic
William Shatner speaks (Continued…)
Following Bezos’ historic trip to space earlier this year, the conversation then became more real for the Star Trek star.
When talking about his trip to Texas for training, he then recalled Star Trek’s 1986 Challenger crash that killed all the astronauts on board.
He continued: “And I’m thinking, ‘I’m going up in a rocket and our best guess is it should be fine? I’m terrified. I’m Captain Kirk, and I’m terrified. I’m not really terrified — yes I am. It comes and goes like a summer cold.
“I’m planning on putting my nose against the window [once I’m in space], and my only hope is I won’t see someone else looking back.”
- Milica Cosic
What did William Shatner say about going into space?
On Thursday, October 7, Shatner was seen talking about his adventure at New York’s Comic-Con during his panel, revealing that he’s actually terrified to go into space.
“My friend Jason Erhlick came to me about a year and a half ago and he said he was seeing these rockets with people going into space. And, wouldn’t it be something if Captain Kirk went up there?” Shatner said.
“And I said, ‘Jason, for God’s sake, man. Nobody cares if Captain Kirk goes to space. It was 55 years ago, man. But I’m doing well, maybe I should go up to space?”
- Milica Cosic
Rocket man
Shatner, who famously said “to boldly go where no man has gone before” at the start of each episode, revealed yesterday: “I’ve heard about space for a long time now.
“I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle.”
The Canadian added: “I’m going to be a ‘rocket man’!”
- Milica Cosic
Liftoff
The New Shepard rocket-capsule combo will lift off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One, near the West Texas town of Van Horn, at 2:30pm UK time.
A live webcast of the mission will begin about 90 minutes before liftoff.
You can follow live updates on our blog here.
- Milica Cosic
Explained: Who else is going to space?
Shatner will be accompanied by two other paying customers, Chris Boshuizen, the co-founder of the satellite imagery firm Planet Labs, and Glen de Vries the co-founder of the clinical research software Medidata.
Also on board will be Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s vice president.
- Milica Cosic
Fans wish Will luck
Star Trek fans, and fans of the actor alike have taken to wish him luck on his journey to space today.
One wrote: "Boldly go today @WilliamShatner Safe travels."
Another fan wrote: "Best of luck, Jim, and enjoy the ride."
"Growing up watching reruns of Star Trek I'm feeling very excited about watching William Shatner heading into space for real in a few hours but also incredibly nervous. William Shatner is a international treasure. #GodSpeed", a third chimed in.
- Milica Cosic
Recap: What's happening?
Star Trek actor William Shatner will join Blue Origin's second crew flight with three others from West Texas.
At age 90, he will become the oldest person in space.
His up-and-down space hop will last just 10 minutes and reach no higher than about 66 miles
- Milica Cosic
Home-made postcards made for Blue Origin
William and his group posed for photos with home-made postcards for the Blue Origin Club. It is a club for the Future program for aspiring astronauts.
Shatner's postcard simply consisted of a handwritten message, stating: "This is the most important and practical concept for space use and for aiding in saving planet Earth."
The 90-year-old Captain Kirk actor is set to become the oldest person ever to go into space when the rocket blasts off later today.
- Milica Cosic
Blue Origin’s first flight
Blue Origin’s rocket first flew off on July 20 with Bezos, his brother Mark, 51, Dutch teenager Oliver Daemen, 18, and former test pilot Wally Funk, 82.
They were propelled 66 miles above the earth in a ten-minute, ten-second trip. At the time, Funk became the oldest person to fly into space.
Broadcaster Dan Katz said: “Congrats to Jeff Bezos on his successful rocket launch. And also for totally not overcompensating for something.”
- Milica Cosic
World’s oldest astronaut
STAR Trek actor William Shatner is to be launched into space — and will become the world’s oldest astronaut.
The 90-year-old, who played Captain James T Kirk in the sci-fi series, will blast off for real next week on billionaire Jeff Bezos’ willy-shaped rocket.
Shatner, who famously said “to boldly go where no man has gone before” at the start of each episode, revealed yesterday: “I’ve heard about space for a long time now.
“I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle.”
The Canadian added: “I’m going to be a ‘rocket man’!”
- Milica Cosic
Captain Kirk represents 'the final frontier'
"Captain Kirk… represents 'the final frontier' perhaps more than anyone else for a couple different generations of people, in the US and worldwide," screenwriter and 'Trek" historian Marc Cushman told AFP.
Shatner, who's also known for his roles as lawyer Denny Crane in "Boston Legal," among many others, has spoken in the past about having a difficult relationship with "Star Trek" and its fan culture.
But in recent years, the actor has leaned into the fame brought about by his most famous role.
"It looks like there's a great deal of curiosity in this fictional character, Captain Kirk," he said in a video released by Blue Origin Tuesday. "Let's go along with it and enjoy the ride."
- Milica Cosic
Pictured: William and crew pose for photos
Star Trek’s William Shatner, 90, will become oldest astronaut in history TODAY aboard Blue Origin rocket.
The 90-year-old will become the world's oldest astronaut when he lifts off with three other crew members from West Texas for a ten-minute flight.
The trip aboard a willy-shaped rocket called New Shepard is scheduled for 2:30pm UK time (9:30am EST).
Pictured below, William Shatner and his fellow crew members pose for photos in the crew capsule of Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. These pictures were taken the day before they were set to launch into space.
Credit: The Mega Agency - Milica Cosic
Jeff Bezos trying to create a narrative
Speaking about today’s launch, Dr Heather Alberro, a social and political sciences expert from Nottingham Trent University said: "Jeff Bezos is trying to create a marketing narrative which frames space tourism as something which ordinary people can do".
“The prospect of William Shatner ‘boldly going’ into space will no doubt make for a very nice story that will appeal to millions of people who enjoyed Star Trek.
“As similar to other launches, Jeff Bezos is trying to create a marketing narrative which frames space tourism as something which ordinary people can do. We know, though, that costs of space tourism are prohibitive for people of ordinary means, so it is only a new frontier for the elite who are wealthy.
“However, there is also a darker side to space tourism which we need to consider here. The ultimate goals of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are to essentially colonise other planets for more resources and because of climate breakdown on Earth. Musk himself has said he wants to “make humanity a multiplanet species”.
“Many people will question – on the eve of COP26 – whether all the money that is being spent on these launches would be better going towards fixing climate problems on Earth.
“Many developing countries are struggling to afford what is needed to adapt to and cope with climate change, and they are already suffering the ill-effects of climate change today.
“Rather than fixing what has gone wrong on Earth, Musk and Bezos are instead extending the human behaviours which have caused the climate and resource problems that they are trying to escape from.”
- Milica Cosic
Flight info
Bezos space travel company, Blue Origin, invited Shatner on the brief jaunt to the fringes of the final frontier, which will make him the oldest person in space.
It will be Blue Origins second passenger flight, using the same capsule and rocket that Bezos used for his own launch three months ago.
The trip should last just 10 minutes, with the fully automated capsule reacing a maximum altitude of about 66 miles (106 kilometers) before parachuting back into the desert.
- Milica Cosic
The launch site
The New Shepard rocket-capsule combo will lift off from Blue Origin's Launch Site One, near the West Texas town of Van Horn, at 9 a.m. local time (10 a.m. EDT; 1400 GMT).
UK time, the flight is scheduled for 2:30pm.
A live webcast of the mission will begin about 90 minutes before liftoff.
You can follow live updates on our blog here.
- Milica Cosic
Explained: Who else is going to space?
Shatner will be accompanied by two other paying customers, Chris Boshuizen, the co-founder of the satellite imagery firm Planet Labs, and Glen de Vries the co-founder of the clinical research software Medidata.
Also on board will be Audrey Powers, Blue Origin's vice president.
- Milica Cosic
William Shatner speaks (Continued…)
Following Bezos' historic trip to space earlier this year, the conversation then became more real for the Star Trek star.
When talking about his trip to Texas for training, he then recalled Star Trek's 1986 Challenger crash that killed all the astronauts on board.
He continued: “And I’m thinking, ‘I’m going up in a rocket and our best guess is it should be fine? I’m terrified. I’m Captain Kirk, and I’m terrified. I’m not really terrified — yes I am. It comes and goes like a summer cold.
"I’m planning on putting my nose against the window [once I’m in space], and my only hope is I won’t see someone else looking back.”
- Milica Cosic
What did William Shatner say about going into space?
On Thursday, October 7, Shatner was seen talking about his adventure at New York's Comic-Con during his panel, revealing that he's actually terrified to go into space.
“My friend Jason Erhlick came to me about a year and a half ago and he said he was seeing these rockets with people going into space. And, wouldn’t it be something if Captain Kirk went up there?” Shatner said.
“And I said, ‘Jason, for God’s sake, man. Nobody cares if Captain Kirk goes to space. It was 55 years ago, man. But I’m doing well, maybe I should go up to space?”
- Milica Cosic
How old is William Shatner?
Shatner was born in Montreal, Canada on March 22, 1931, making him 90 years old today.
Because of his age, he will now become the oldest person to fly in space with the upcoming Blue Origin launch.
It was announced earlier this week that the Star Trek captain will launch into space and back as a passenger aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin New Shepard vehicle.
The flight is scheduled to take place today, on October 13, 2021.
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