Jeff Bezos launches Michael Strahan into space


Good Morning America host Michael Strahan, the daughter of Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard, and four paying customers rode a rocket to the edge of space Saturday, courtesy of Jeff Bezos' aerospace company Blue Origin, CNN Business reports.
According to data from Space.com, the spacecraft launched at 42 seconds past 10 a.m. ET and was airborne for 10 minutes and 13 seconds. Its maximum velocity was 2,244 mph. The crew capsule reached an apogee of 347,580 feet above ground level. Bezos met them on the ground after landing and presented them with astronaut pins.
Strahan and Laura Shepard Churchley both received their trips free of charge, as did William Shatner, who at age 90 took a trip on a Blue Origin rocket in October. "It's hard to even describe it. It's gonna take a little bit to process it," Strahan said in a video shared after his return to Earth.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The paying customers were investors Dylan Taylor, Evan Dick, and Lane Bess and Bess' 23-year-old son Cameron. The price of their tickets has not been publicly disclosed, but a ticket to accompany Bezos on his flight in July sold at auction for $28 million.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Peter Mandelson called Epstein his 'best pal' in birthday note
Speed Read The UK's ambassador to Washington described the late convicted paedophile as an 'intelligent, sharp-witted man'
-
A Spinal Tap reunion, Thomas Pynchon by way of Paul Thomas Anderson and a harrowing Stephen King adaptation in September movies
the week recommends This month's new releases include 'Spinal Tap II,' 'One Battle After Another' and 'The Long Walk'
-
'Vampire energy' could be causing your electric bill to rise
Under the Radar Wasted energy could account for up to 10% of home use
-
SpaceX breaks Starship losing streak in 10th test
speed read The Starship rocket's test flight was largely successful, deploying eight dummy satellites during its hour in space
-
Hurricanes are not exclusive to Earth. They can happen in space.
Under the radar These storms may cause navigational problems
-
Rabbits with 'horns' sighted across Colorado
speed read These creatures are infected with the 'mostly harmless' Shope papilloma virus
-
Lithium shows promise in Alzheimer's study
Speed Read Potential new treatments could use small amounts of the common metal
-
Scientists discover cause of massive sea star die-off
Speed Read A bacteria related to cholera has been found responsible for the deaths of more than 5 billion sea stars
-
'Thriving' ecosystem found 30,000 feet undersea
Speed Read Researchers discovered communities of creatures living in frigid, pitch-black waters under high pressure
-
Answers to how life on Earth began could be stuck on Mars
Under the Radar Donald Trump plans to scrap Nasa's Mars Sample Return mission – stranding test tubes on the Red Planet and ceding potentially valuable information to China
-
New York plans first nuclear plant in 36 years
Speed Read The plant, to be constructed somewhere in upstate New York, will produce enough energy to power a million homes