LOL
Unnamed Participant Withdraws from Blue Origin Space Journey
The premier journey for passengers aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepherd rocket, a spaceflight venture by Jeff Bezos’ Amazon offshoot, is scheduled for next Tuesday. In addition to the crew, four seats were available to passengers: one each for Bezos, his brother Mark, renowned aviator Wally Funk, and an additional seat. This particular seat was auctioned off at a charity event last June, with the highest bid reaching an astounding $28 million. Now, call me uninformed, but if I had invested $28 million in a space ticket, I would have surely made time for the experience. Nonetheless, it appears that the affluent bidder decided they are too occupied to embark on this space adventure.
Based on a report from Blue Origin conveyed by CNBC, the individual who bid anonymously has formally relinquished their seat on the spacecraft, citing “conflicting schedules.” Despite this, in recognition of their contribution, the anonymous bidder has been assured a spot on a forthcoming New Shepherd mission. Whether the “scheduling conflict” is authentic or if the bidder simply had a change of heart remains ambiguous. Nevertheless, aviation experts understand the reluctance to partake in a potentially perilous journey. Statistics indicate that about 1% of crewed space missions culminate in a fatal incident, a risk that is more substantial than it may initially seem.
“It’s approximately 10,000 times riskier than traveling on a commercial airline,” explained George Nield, former associate administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and co-author of a report, to Business Insider.
An 18-year-old from the Netherlands is poised to become the youngest individual to venture into space aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket set for launch on Tuesday. Oliver Daemen steps in for another passenger who secured the seat with a $28 million bid but faced a scheduling clash. https://t.co/SPvWMEGdH0
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 15, 2021
In place of the original bidder, the fourth spot on the flight has now been allocated to 18-year-old recent high school graduate Oliver Daemen. His father, Somerset Capital Partners CEO Joes Daemen, presumably paid a substantial sum to secure his son’s place on the waiting list.
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