Sharjah24 – Reuters: William Shatner, the "Star Trek" actor who found fame by pretending a Hollywood soundstage was a spaceship exploring the galaxy, will be launched to the edge of space for real next week in a rocket built by Blue Origin, billionaire Jeff Bezos' space company.
The actor, who famously portrayed Captain Kirk on the original “Star Trek” television series, is actually heading to space - thanks to one of the billionaires now offering trips to the final frontier.
In Shatner’s case, it’s Jeff Bezos, whose next Blue Origin rocket launch on October 12th will have Shatner on board.
In a statement, the actor – who also starred in seven “Star Trek” films – said (quote), “I've heard about space for a long time now. I'm taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle."
Shatner is flying as a guest of Blue Origin, but the company says it has also sold nearly $100 million in tickets to paying customers, though it has not said how many.
Shatner will be joined by a former NASA engineer, a clinical research entrepreneur and a Blue Origin vice president.
The flight will be the company’s second with humans. The first came in July when Bezos himself was among those who soared more than 66 miles above the Texas desert and returned safely to Earth – a round-trip that, at a top speed of over 2,000 miles an hour, lasted under 11 minutes.
Eighty-two year-old aviation pioneer Wally Funk was also on that flight.
Blue Origin at the time touted her as the oldest person to reach space.
Shatner, at 90, is set to shatter that record.
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