Celebrity News October 13, 2021
Blast Off! William Shatner, 90, Becomes Oldest Person in Space
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“Star Trek” star William Shatner, who played the beloved Captain Kirk, headed to the final frontier early Wednesday!
Shatner, 90, became the oldest person to fly into space when he took off in Texas with Jeff Bezos’ rocket company Blue Origin.
After a successful and short trip, an emotional Shatner shared his initial thoughts with Jeff Bezos, saying, in part, "What you have given me is the most profound experience. I am so filled with emotion about what just happened. It's extraordinary. I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain what I feel now. I don't want to lose it.
"It's so much larger than me and life. It hasn't got anything to do with the little green men... It has to do with the enormity and the quickness and the suddenness of life and death."
He later added, "I can't even begin to express — what I would love to do is to communicate as much as possible the jeopardy, the moment you see the vulnerability of everything. It's so small. This air which is keeping us alive is thinner than your skin. It's a sliver. It's immeasurably small when you think in terms of the universe."
Watch a replay of the livestream below, including Shatner's reaction.
The 10-minute up-and-down flight on the New Shepard spacecraft included Shatner, Chris Boshuizen of Planet Labs, microbiologist Glen de Vries and Blue Origins' Audrey Powers. The team was said to enjoy a few minutes of weightlessness and some incredible views before the capsule made its parachute descent back to Earth.
The flight was delayed by one day due to wind conditions.
After Blue Origin announced Shatner as part of the crew, the actor tweeted, "Yes, it's true; I'm going to be a 'rocket man!'" He was referencing his widely parodied performance of the Elton John hit from 1978.
