‘Everybody in the world needs to see:’ William Shatner becomes the oldest person to go to space
Testing on staging11
VAN HORN, Texas (NewsNation Now) — Blue Origin launched its second passenger flight Wednesday morning, blasting four people including actor William Shatner to the edge of space.
The “Star Trek” hero and three fellow passengers soared to an estimated 66 miles over the West Texas desert in the fully automated capsule and then safely parachuted to the desert floor in a flight that lasted just over 10 minutes.
This video is courtesy of Blue Origin and the announcers and commentary are from Blue Origin staff.
“That was unlike anything they described,” Shatner said at the capsule descended toward Earth.
The New Shepard rocket launches on October 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles (40kms) north of Van Horn. – “Star Trek” actor William Shatner is going to where no 90-year-old has gone before when he blasts off to space Wednesday on Blue Origin’s second crewed mission, NS-18. He will be joined on the New Shepard rocket by Blue Origins Vice President of Mission & Flight Operations, Audrey Powers; Planet Labs co-founder, Chris Boshuizen, and Medidata Solutions Co-Founder, Glen de Vries. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) 
The New Shepard rocket launches on October 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles (40kms) north of Van Horn. – “Star Trek” actor William Shatner is going to where no 90-year-old has gone before when he blasts off to space Wednesday on Blue Origin’s second crewed mission, NS-18. He will be joined on the New Shepard rocket by Blue Origins Vice President of Mission & Flight Operations, Audrey Powers; Planet Labs co-founder, Chris Boshuizen, and Medidata Solutions Co-Founder, Glen de Vries. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) 
A full-size model of Blue Origin’s crew capsule is on display on October 13, 2021, in Van Horn, Texas. – “Star Trek” actor William Shatner is set to boldly go where no 90-year-old has gone before when he blasts off to space Wednesday on Blue Origin’s second crewed mission. He will be joined on the New Shepard rocket by Blue Origin executive Audrey Powers, Planet Labs co-founder Chris Boshuizen, and Glen de Vries, a co-founder of clinical research platform Medidata Solutions. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) 
The New Shepard rocket launches on October 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles (40kms) north of Van Horn. – “Star Trek” actor William Shatner is going to where no 90-year-old has gone before when he blasts off to space Wednesday on Blue Origin’s second crewed mission, NS-18. He will be joined on the New Shepard rocket by Blue Origins Vice President of Mission & Flight Operations, Audrey Powers; Planet Labs co-founder, Chris Boshuizen, and Medidata Solutions Co-Founder, Glen de Vries. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) 
The New Shepard rocket launches on October 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles (40kms) north of Van Horn. – “Star Trek” actor William Shatner is going to where no 90-year-old has gone before when he blasts off to space Wednesday on Blue Origin’s second crewed mission, NS-18. He will be joined on the New Shepard rocket by Blue Origins Vice President of Mission & Flight Operations, Audrey Powers; Planet Labs co-founder, Chris Boshuizen, and Medidata Solutions Co-Founder, Glen de Vries. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) 
The New Shepard rocket launches on October 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles (40kms) north of Van Horn. – “Star Trek” actor William Shatner is going to where no 90-year-old has gone before when he blasts off to space Wednesday on Blue Origin’s second crewed mission, NS-18. He will be joined on the New Shepard rocket by Blue Origins Vice President of Mission & Flight Operations, Audrey Powers; Planet Labs co-founder, Chris Boshuizen, and Medidata Solutions Co-Founder, Glen de Vries. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) 
VAN HORN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 13: A full-size replica of Blue Origin’s crew capsule is displayed before Blue Origin’s New Shepard lifts-off from the launch pad carrying 90-year-old Star Trek actor William Shatner and three other civilians on October 13, 2021 near Van Horn, Texas. Shatner will become the oldest person to fly into space on the ten minute flight. Shatner, along with civilians Audrey Powers, Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries, are riding aboard mission NS-18, the second human spaceflight for the company which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) 
This undated photo made available by Blue Origin in October 2021 shows, from left, Chris Boshuizen, William Shatner, Audrey Powers and Glen de Vries. Their launch scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 will be Blue Origin’s second passenger flight, using the same capsule and rocket that Jeff Bezos used for his own trup three months earlier. (Blue Origin via AP) 
Parachutes slow the descent of the Blue Origin capsule with passengers William Shatner, Chris Boshuizen, Audrey Powers and Glen de Vries near the company’s spaceport near Van Horn, Texas, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/LM Otero) 
Parachutes carry the Blue Origin capsule with passengers William Shatner, Chris Boshuizen, Audrey Powers and Glen de Vries down to the spaceport near Van Horn, Texas, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/LM Otero) 
Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket launches carrying passengers William Shatner, Chris Boshuizen, Audrey Powers and Glen de Vries from its spaceport near Van Horn, Texas, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/LM Otero) 
Parachutes slow the descent of the Blue Origin capsule with passengers William Shatner, Chris Boshuizen, Audrey Powers and Glen de Vries near the company’s spaceport near Van Horn, Texas, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Shatner became the oldest person in space, eclipsing the previous record — set by a passenger on a similar jaunt on a Jeff Bezos built spaceship in July — by eight years.
“You have done something,” an exhilarated Shatner told Bezos as he emerged from the capsule, the words spilling from him in a torrent. ”What you have given me is the most profound experience.” He added: “I hope I never recover from this.”
He said that going from the blue sky to the blackness of space was a moving experience that made him wonder, “Is that the way death is?”
Bezos was on scene at the landing site near Van Horn, Texas, to see the four off.
In July, Bezos, the founder of Amazon, soared about 66.5 miles above the Texas desert aboard a New Shepard launch vehicle and returned safely to Earth.
New Shepard hurtled at speeds reaching 2,233 miles per hour, exceeding the Karman Line – 62 miles straight up – set by an international aeronautics body to define the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space.
This story is developing. Refresh for updates.