The sixth space tourism mission of Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket has been accomplished. Six additional crew members, including the first woman to complete the Explorers' Extreme trifecta, were launched into suborbital space.
According to Blue Origin's official statistics, the NS-22 mission blasted off on Aug. 4 at 8:56 am (CDT) / 9:56 am (ET) / 1:56 pm (UTC) / from Launch Site One in West Texas.
Six space tourists were aboard the spacecraft, including the first Egyptian and Portuguese citizens to enter suborbital space.
After 10 minutes and 20 seconds, they finished the operation and touched down again at roughly 9:06 am (CDT) / 10:06 am (ET) / 2:56 pm (UTC).
And the capsule has landed, just over 10 minutes since launch. pic.twitter.com/xTFDHosJiu
— Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) August 4, 2022
Blue Origin's New Shepard Successfully Conducted 22nd Flight
NASA Spaceflight said the capsule detached from the New Shepard Propulsion Module during the sub-orbital spaceflight, allowing those inside to experience zero-gravity for a short while before buckling up again for the landing. New Shepard's booster landed with a thunderous crash, but the crew capsule drifted down and safely opened its parachute.
The NS-22 mission was the New Shepard suborbital launch system's 22nd flight and sixth crewed space mission overall. Additionally, it was New Shepard's third crewed launch of the year. Exactly two months prior, Blue Origin had another successful mission that sent six additional people past the Kármán line, the accepted outer limit of space.
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Here's What Makes This Blue Origin Flight Special
The NS-22 crew included Clint Kelly III, founder of the Autonomous Land Vehicle project, Sara Sabry, founder of the Deep Space Initiative, and Steve Young, formerly the CEO of Young's Communications LLC. Coby Cotton, co-founder of the YouTube channel Dude Perfect, Mário Ferreira, president of Pluris Investments Group, Vanessa O'Brien, an American-British mountaineer, and Vanessa O'Brien were also on board.
According to Blue Origin, this group of astronauts set three records: Sabry became the first Egyptian to travel to space, Ferreira became the first Portuguese to travel there, and O'Brien set a Guinness World Record by becoming the first woman to reach the world's three highest points on land, sea, and air (Mt. Everest, Challenger Deep, and Kármán line), completing the Explorers' Extreme Trifecta.
Who Is Vanessa O'Brien
Daily Mail said Vanessa O'Brien, at 57, reached Mount Everest's summit in 2012. Two years later, the British-American descended 35,843 feet to reach the Challenger Deep, the planet's lowest point of known seafloor.
After astronaut Kathy Sullivan, a member of O'Brien's crew that descended into the depths, O'Brien is the second woman to reach Challenger Deep. And Vescovo was the pilot who took her on the journey to the planet's lowest point.
O'Brien was born and raised in Michigan before relocating to London in 1999. She started her career in consumer accounts for numerous big banks, including Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and Barclays Bank. She had a change of heart, though, and abandoned her job to set off on a quest to accomplish the Explorer's Extreme Trifecta when the recession hit in 2010.
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