It seems that Jeff Bezos’ space exploration company, Blue Origin, is preparing to send a 90-year-old astronaut into space on its next mission. This way, Ed Dwight will fulfill his dreams years later and become one of the few African American astronauts.
Dwight will travel aboard the new-generation space vehicle named New Shepard, being one of the six crew members. The vehicle is expected to make significant discoveries on its inaugural manned voyage. Here are the most important details about the matter…
Blue Origin is in the spotlight with its radical astronaut decision
In its official statement, Blue Origin management expressed that Ed Dwight was selected as the first African American astronaut candidate in history by the then-President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, in 1961, but he did not get the opportunity. Dwight, who is also a former member of the U.S. Air Force, is said to have successfully completed the Aviation and Space Research Pilot School in the country. However, Dwight was unable to make a space journey due to the racism he faced.
Joining the highly anticipated space expedition with Ed Dwight will be Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth Hess, Carol Schaller, and Gopi Thotakura. It is known that large sums of money are paid to participate in the expedition. According to leaks, Dwight’s participation fee will be covered by the Space for Humanity and Jaison-Jamie Robinson foundations. Blue Origin management seems quite confident that the mission will be successfully completed.
What do you think about this topic? Do you think Blue Origin will achieve a good success in its new space expedition? Are you following Blue Origin’s space projects? You can easily share your answers with us in the comments section below. Your opinions are very valuable to us.