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THE WEALTHIEST MAN on the planet Jeff Bezos rode his own rocket to the edge of space this afternoon, a key moment for a fledgling industry seeking to make the final frontier accessible to elite tourists.
Blue Origin made its first crewed mission, an 11-minute hop from west Texas to beyond the Karman line and back again, to coincide with the 52nd anniversary of the first Moon landing.
“#NewShepard is on the pad. The launch team completed vehicle rollout this morning and final preparations are underway,” the company tweeted today.
Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson made the voyage on 11 July, narrowly beating the Amazon magnate in their battle of the billionaires.
But Blue Origin’s sights were set higher: both in the altitude to which its reusable New Shepard craft will ascend compared to Virgin’s spaceplane, but also in its ambitions.
Bezos, 57, founded Blue Origin in 2000 with the goal of one day building floating space colonies with artificial gravity where millions of people will work and live.
New Shepard has flown 15 uncrewed flights to put it through its paces and test safety mechanisms, like firing the capsule away from the launchpad if the rocket explodes, or landing it with one less parachute.
Lift-off was at 8am Central Time (2pm Irish time) from a remote facility in the west Texas desert called Launch Site One, some 40 kilometres north of the nearest town, Van Horn.
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“Today is just the first of many flights to come on New Shepard,” Blue Origin’s sale director Ariane Cornell said in a livestream, adding ticket sales were now open.
Richest, oldest, youngest
Joining Bezos was barrier-breaking female aviator Wally Funk, who at 82 was the oldest ever astronaut, and 18-year-old Dutchman Oliver Daemen, who has become the youngest.
Rounding out the quartet was Jeff Bezos’ younger brother and best friend Mark, who directs the Bezos Family Foundation and works as a volunteer firefighter.
Notably absent is the still anonymous winner of a $28 million auction for a seat, who had “scheduling conflicts” and will take part in a future flight.
Daemen’s father, the CEO of a private equity firm, was a runner-up in the bidding, allowing his teenage son to become the company’s first paying customer.
After lift-off, New Shepard careened towards space at speeds exceeding 3700kph using a liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen engine whose only byproduct is water vapor.
The capsule separated from its booster, and when it got high enough, the astronauts unbuckled and experienced weightlessness for three to four minutes.
The spacecraft peaks at 106 kilometres, allowing the crew members to admire the curvature of the planet, and the inky black of the rest of the universe.
The booster returns autonomously to a landing pad just north of its launch site, while the capsule freefalls back to Earth with three giant parachutes, and finally a thruster, for a gentle landing in the desert.
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Ha, sounds like Bertie in 2006. Certainly feels like a global depression is on the way, but with the likes of Martin & Varadker in charge (just outwardly denying) and bad news, does not do anything to help or prepare Ireland for the shock that’s to come. And before any of you diehard FF/FG’s out there calling me a fear monger, this was 2006, same was said then and debunked but our/every government until it crashed in 2007.
@Daniel Roche: Perhaps you just focused on the positive spin, rather than the substantive facts, inflation between 7.1 and 8.0 %, increased fuel costs, rising prices and an unwillingness by government to take direct action, with them instead betting on international events mitgating with any national economic crisis, or at worst overshadowing any national economic crisis, so the government parties can claim its entirely out of their control.
@Simon Connolly: is wish the electorate will learn from their mistakes and vote with insight into how this Government has and stíll is screwing the middle and working class of this country.
Look how the banks got off with just a fine, no heads rolling there. You can hear the laughing and champagne corks popping at those who were treated so wrongly with the tracker sandal.
@Dave Barrett: you watch how much the terrorists attack the middle class with their money for nothing rampage if we are stupid enough as a country to put them into power.
@Dave Connolly: Think the terrorism comes from the banks facilated by the FFG/Green government. The vulture companies welcomed in by Noonan..Every person in this country suffered and are still suffering due to the gangsterism of the above. Of course Martin stated there was no bank bailout..If you think that FFG will protect the (Middle Class ) or another class as you put it ..you are sadly mistaken.
@Michael Nolan: Hopefully that’s changing , The old loyalty to FFG is disappearing. The gray vote can now see how the policy of successive governments have failed. Health crisis, Housing crisis, Homelessness, Scandal after scandal.
@Leadóg: No,no, no they are talking us into a SOFT LANDING like they did in 2006/7. The landing was so soft the banks went bankrupt and the country very well nearly did too. SOFT LANDING. Remember the term. Once you hear it, you know we are f*ucked.
@Irish Opinion: The war is just the frosting on a cake. You take away that frosting and you still have a very large cake. The recession (which is almost inevitable) will hit the US first then EU. Two biggest contributors are perpetual lock downs in China have caused chaos for supply chains and international shipping channels. Money printer going zoom to pay for Covid measures in the US and EU, compounded inflation on scarcely available materials. Throw in a bubble on massively overheated Tech stocks and Crypto markets. It’s the perfect storm. The invasion is tertiary in the bigger picture and by lifting sanctions, will do nothing to stop it. Would only serve to appease a deluded dictator.
@Irish Opinion: I rather drive less, whenever possible, cut down on some extras and wear another jumper coming autumn/winter before this should happen.
Making WFH mandatory again, where possible, would reduce oil consumption by a big chunk alone.
@Irish Opinion: And once Ukraine is occupied, a few years down the road if Russia makes a move on an eastern EU country – same story yea? Put the people of the rest of the EU first so we can keep prices down? Nato should also consider not getting involved because…prices on goods back on an upward trend. Pretty much let Russia do whatever it wants by putting out a clear message that lower prices on goods are more important to us at the end of the day?
@Gavin Conran: The EU is now throwing massive money and resources at renewables. It’s not an overnight solution but in the long term will benefit us all massively. I’m happier with this route than leaving the people of Ukraine to slaughter so I can save a few bob. The EU is hurting from these actions in the short term, but make no Mistake Russia is hurting more.
@David Corrigan: The amount of money that was printed in Europe and the US it wouldn’t surprise me if what some so called “maverick” economists are saying that its going to be a depression rather than a recession
“ people are coming to work in even greater numbers”. People want to work to live a reasonable life style in homes with happy family life, not live to work to boast profits for non or little tax paying investors!!
@Gavin Conran: “we move on from this “ is usually the one after turning the corners ! “The nobody could foresee this” is usually spared til the end as it gets them off the hook completely and the guaranteed to get re-elected next time around.
He and his mob won’t feel any affect if there is a recession…they’ll just give themselves another raise like they did a few times when the country was in lockdown and peoples businesses were goin to the wall!
@Leadóg: They walked us into it when they followed China’s example and locked down the country and the whole global economy, while simultaneously printing unprecedented amounts of cash. The sooner the recession comes the better, because inflation is not going to stop until such a time. We are only beginning to see the costs of the lockdowns.
Sounds suspiciously like Bertie’s spiel, nothing to see here sheeet! ‘Duba duba duba we are heading for a soft landing’ duba duba we need to meet with eu financial advisors duba duba’ The so called “cautious” approach of minister for spits “Plump Pachal the rascal” is not what it seems, they’re are panicked and it shows, there was no time frame for a summer conclusion to the “restoration of public pay” more like a let’s look after the lads before the arse falls out of it all and we can float off on holibops while the plebs wrestle with the mire we did little to help them out of. Bunch of chancers, sure the tax free bonus is essentially them doing nothing! The employer saves for not having to pay prsi. Muppets in space!
Of course there is going to be a recession. Government just trying to ride it out until October. Taking in massive excess of tax then increase expenditure saying they are doing us a favour
I think the government don’t have control or know what they are doing. To me, the excessive pay rises to senior public servants last week is not only puzzling its crazy, when Ireland has not paid a cent off the debt over the last 8 years of relative prosperity. Instead, relying on ultra low interest rates to borrow more and more. Most private debtors in such a position would have prioritised paying down debt. Even during the boom times with Bertie and Charlie the national debt was paid down.
Or maybe I am missing something and its a clever trick. The government is borrowing money from pension funds, banks and the ECB. So there is only so much repayments the creditors can demand back before a default. And it’s therefore in the creditors interests to keep the economy going and not raise interest rates too much. But at the same stage, there will be an ever tightening squeeze on the ordinary people, who will really feel the pinch. Leaving the well off and secure relatively comfortable.
Scrap living standards.
Cut off oil supplies
Cancel all Parades.
Cancel summer.
Cancel houses.
The DEATHSTAR Must be completed by August.
_communicate from the Emperor to G.Tarquin 10094.8000.743-b
- And inform Lord Vader. The Coaxium must flow.
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