Blue Origin

[Beati Dogu]

New Shepard passengers will experience up to 3g for a couple of minutes on the ascent and briefly up to 5.5 g on the way down.

Plus some "zero-g" hang time of course.

If the escape rocket has to kick in, then that'll be a pretty brutal 10g or thereabouts.

Edited by Beati Dogu on Tuesday 8th June 11:15

[Ash_]

So it's all well and good running an auction to join them, but surely they must also do an assessment of the winners fitness and ability to cope with the stresses of the flight?

[Beati Dogu]

Check out the "Functional Requirements" section on this page:

https://www.blueorigin.com/astronaut-experience-au...

[Ash_]

Beati Dogu said:

Check out the "Functional Requirements" section on this page:

https://www.blueorigin.com/astronaut-experience-au...

Thanks for that, it was very interesting and nowhere near as strict as I thought it would be, for example I could apply (if I was rich enough) and I'm no racing snake. my only issue would be at the top of the gantry as I have pretty bad height anxiety, but if it's like being on a balcony I reckon I could do it. However, climbing very open stairs to that height could be an issue for me. I'm surprised.

Also didn't realise that the deceleration (through air resistance I guess) would generate so much higher G than lift off, but that's just my lack of knowledge of that stuff.

[Beati Dogu]

It'll be quite an eventful 10 minutes and I'm sure they'll have lots of takers even at the prices tickets will go for.

The current highest bidder is $3.8 million.

The rocket gets up to nearly Mach 3 as it climbs, although the drop is going to be equally dramatic I expect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCzD3ONQsmM

[annodomini2]

Ash_ said:

Also didn't realise that the deceleration (through air resistance I guess) would generate so much higher G than lift off, but that's just my lack of knowledge of that stuff.

Depends where apogee is, as it begins to drop it accelerates under gravity, with virtually no air resistance, as it hits the top of the atmosphere even though it's relatively thin, the deceleration can be quite dramatic.

Especially if you're hitting it at 2000mph

[frisbee]

Interesting shape!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkM4iySAByI&t=...

[Flooble]

annodomini2 said:

Ash_ said:

Also didn't realise that the deceleration (through air resistance I guess) would generate so much higher G than lift off, but that's just my lack of knowledge of that stuff.

Depends where apogee is, as it begins to drop it accelerates under gravity, with virtually no air resistance, as it hits the top of the atmosphere even though it's relatively thin, the deceleration can be quite dramatic.

Especially if you're hitting it at 2000mph

Yeah, I am surprised it's not actually a rougher ride than stated, with little to no sideways component I would have expected the deceleration to be absolutely brutal. Although now I look, it's only going over just half as high as Alan Shepherd did in the first Mercury flight. So I guess that helps explain why it's not quite such a high-g re-entry.

[Clive Milk]

Jeff soon to be in space whilst Elon is still on earthbound twitter ....



I thought Blue origin was too cautious but to be honest if it looks ship shape for a billionaire to use it.

I bet it gets stopped at t-minus 10 seconds as all the underlings get cold feet !



Joking aside, amazing that the head of the organisation is going up in it soon.



Jeff and his brother have the right stuff. When was it last that brothers were in space together?

[ninja-lewis]

Clive Milk said:

Jeff and his brother have the right stuff. When was it last that brothers were in space together?

Its never happened before. NASA twins Scott Kelly and Mark Kelly were scheduled to overlap for 8 days in March 2011 with Mark Kelly visiting ISS as commander of STS-134 while Scott was onboard as part of Expedition 26. But STS-134 slipped to May and Scott had already returned to Earth aboard Souyz TMA-01M.

[Beati Dogu]

New Shepard first flew over six years ago, so it’s about time they started flying passengers.

“Step by step glacially” would be a better motto for the company.

[Beati Dogu]

The winning bid for a sub orbital 10 minute flight on New Shepard was $28 million!

Crazy.

Closer to 30 mil with the auction fee apparently.

Edited by Beati Dogu on Saturday 12th June 19:25

[Einion Yrth]

That's an expensive fairground ride, Alton Towers is a fair bit cheaper.

[Flooble]

I guess it's unique right now and with the way things have gone money is looking for a home (look at the prices being bid for "Non Fungible Tokens" - at least you get to experience something for the £30 million)

[Talksteer]

Einion Yrth said:

That's an expensive fairground ride, Alton Towers is a fair bit cheaper.

Dunno it's a fairly substantial park, but you could definitely get a substantial % stake in it for $30 million!

[Beati Dogu]

It’s 20 years since American businessman Dennis Tito had his trip to the ISS on a Soyuz, making him the first space tourist. At least he got a full week there and it only cost him $20 million.

[Toaster]

Einion Yrth said:

That's an expensive fairground ride, Alton Towers is a fair bit cheaper.

Totally agree this is just an expensive Totally automated fairground ride and feeds the ego's of the super rich for what is a pedestrian journey

[Eric Mc]

Very little of this money is to buy the ticket. Most is going to charity. It was actually a charity auction - not for the purchase of a ticket.

[hyphen]

Clive Milk said:

Jeff soon to be in space whilst Elon is still ...earthbound...

Maybe Elon or Branson bid the $28m.

I haven't kept up with Blue Origin, so dont know their progress, but imagine Bezos wouldn't be taking anything other than a low risk.

[Flooble]

hyphen said:

Maybe Elon or Branson bid the $28m.

I haven't kept up with Blue Origin, so dont know their progress, but imagine Bezos wouldn't be taking anything other than a low risk.

Especially putting his brother on board as well. They have certainly made a lot of test flights and the flight envelope is well understood too. But with rockets nothing is ever "safe".