On Dec. 11, Blue Origin successfully completed its third human spaceflight. The flight was also the sixth flight of the year for the program.
Six astronauts were onboard, including Laura Shepard Churchley, the daughter of Alan Shepard, the first American in space.
Shepard made his historic flight on May 5, 1961, when he piloted the Mercury-Redstone 3 mission. The Dec. 11 flight took place in the New Shepard launch vehicle that is named for Alan Shepard.
Shepard Churchley took along a tiny piece of her father’s Freedom 7 capsule, as well as mementos from his Apollo 14 Moon mission.
“I thought about Daddy coming down and thought, gosh he didn’t even get to enjoy any of what I’m getting to enjoy,” Shepard Churchley said following touchdown. “He was working. He had to do it himself. I went up for the ride!”
Also onboard was NFL star and TV celebrity Michael Strahan. Following the flight, Strahan tweeted “TOUCHDOWN has a new meaning now.”
The other astronauts on the Blue Origin flight were: Evan Dick, Dylan Taylor, Lane Bess, and his son, and Cameron Bess.
The New Shepard rocket took off from West Texas, sending the capsule on a 10-minute flight. They soard to an altitude of 66 miles, providing a few minutes of weightlessness, before coming back to Earth.
“We had a great flight today. This was our sixth flight in what has been a great year for the New Shepard program. We flew 14 astronauts to space, flew a NASA payload flight that tested lunar landing sensors, and completed our certification test flights,” said Bob Smith, CEO Blue Origin. “I want to thank our payload customers, our astronauts and, of course, Team Blue for these many important accomplishments. I am so proud to be part of this dedicated and hard-working team that ensures that each and every flight of New Shepard is safe and reliable. And it’s fun to say that this is just the beginning.”
Blue Origin is planning several crewed and payload flights in 2022.
Also available for purchase on the Blue Origin Shop is the commemorative patch from today’s mission and other merchandise, including the signature Michael Strahan Brand Blue Origin hoodie.
