New Shepard’s Crewed NS-25 Mission Targets Liftoff on May 19
Blue Origin announced today its seventh human flight, NS-25, will lift off from Launch Site One in West Texas on Sunday, May 19. The launch window opens at 8:30 AM CDT / 1330 UTC. The webcast on BlueOrigin.com will start at T-40 minutes.

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Additionally, Blue Origin released the NS-25 mission patch. A few of the symbols embedded include:

The Gemini spacecraft represents Ed Dwight’s aerospace training era. The hand lifting the crew capsule is a nod to his extensive artwork.

The sunrise represents Mason Angel and Carol Schaller’s desire to experience the overview effect.

The mountains symbolize Carol Schaller, Gopi Thotakura, and Sylvain Chiron’s passion for climbing and skiing.

The crew capsule’s leaf design reflects the groundbreaking family heritage software Kenneth L. Hess developed.

NS-25 Mission Crew

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New Shepard’s 25th Mission Includes America’s First Black Astronaut Candidate
April 4, 2024

Blue Origin today revealed the six-person crew flying on its NS-25 mission. The crew includes Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth L. Hess, Carol Schaller, Gopi Thotakura, and former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight, who was selected by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 as the nation’s first Black astronaut candidate but was never granted the opportunity to fly to space.
Meet the Crew
Ed Dwight

In 1961, Ed was chosen by President John F. Kennedy to enter training at the Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS), an elite U.S. Air Force flight training program known as a pathway for entering the NASA Astronaut Corps. In 1963, after successfully completing the ARPS program, Ed was recommended by the U.S. Air Force for the NASA Astronaut Corps but ultimately was not among those selected. He entered private life in 1966 and spent a decade as an entrepreneur before dedicating his life’s work to using sculpture as a medium to tell the story of Black history. He’s spent the last five decades creating large-scale monuments of iconic Black figures, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, among many others. His more than 130 public works are installed in museums and public spaces across the U.S. and Canada. Ed was born in 1933 and raised in Kansas City, KS.

Ed’s seat is sponsored by Space for Humanity, a nonprofit changing global perspectives by democratizing access to space for all of humanity, with additional support from the Jaison and Jamie Robinson Foundation.

Mason Angel

Mason is the founder of Industrious Ventures, a venture capital fund supporting early-stage companies that enable or progress new industrial revolutions. Mason is an active member in his family’s foundation and will use this mission to inspire children and advance partnerships with nonprofits focused on STEM in early education. He spends his free time skiing or hiking in the Rocky Mountains and can often be found with his dog Leo, named for low Earth orbit.

Sylvain Chiron

Sylvain is the founder of the Brasserie Mont Blanc, one of the largest craft breweries in France. Sylvain was born in the French Alps and is a lifelong aviator and skier. He earned his pilot’s license at age 16. After spending several summers in Florida taking additional flying lessons and watching Space Shuttle launches, Sylvain entered mandatory service in the French military, where he served as a ski instructor for the French Air Force and NATO pilots. Following the military, he pursued an international MBA at Temple University and moved to Tokyo to study business in Japan. Sylvain and his family are based in Savoy, France, where he’s also involved in philanthropy focused on children’s education and nature preservation.

Kenneth L. Hess

Ken is a software engineer and entrepreneur who shaped today’s technology-based family history industry when he developed the Family Tree Maker product line in the 1990s. The company was acquired by Ancestry.com in 2003. In 2001, Ken gave back by founding Science Buddies, a K-12 nonprofit created to level the playing field and improve STEM literacy by inspiring students through free, personalized, hands-on projects in all areas of science, including space exploration. Science Buddies has reached one-quarter billion users. Ken’s lifelong passion for space exploration is in his DNA, with numerous early American pioneers in his mother’s lineage and many engineers and technicians in his father’s.

Carol Schaller

Carol is a retired CPA. In 2017, her doctor told her she would likely go blind. She has since traveled to 25 countries around the world, visited Mount Everest Base Camp, trekked to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest of Uganda to see mountain gorillas, visited the South Pole, and camped in a tent in the desolate Antarctic plain at -20 degrees. Seeing Earth’s thin layer of atmosphere in the blackness of space will fulfill a lifelong dream. Carol and her husband of 40 years live on a farm in Lumberville, PA, with a view of the stars, two cows, 100 chickens, a dog, and a dancing parrot.

Gopi Thotakura

Gopi is a pilot and aviator who learned how to fly before he could drive. He’s co-founder of Preserve Life Corp, a global center for holistic wellness and applied health located near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In addition to flying jets commercially, Gopi pilots bush, aerobatic, and seaplanes, as well as gliders and hot air balloons, and has served as an international medical jet pilot. A lifelong traveler, his most recent adventure took him to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Gopi is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Each astronaut will carry a postcard to space on behalf of Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future. This program gives students access to space on Blue Origin’s rockets, including an all-digital method to create and send postcards, which can be found here. The Club’s mission is to inspire and mobilize future generations to pursue careers in STEAM for the benefit of Earth.

From an environmental standpoint, nearly 99% of New Shepard’s dry mass is reused, including the booster, capsule, engine, landing gear, and parachutes. New Shepard’s engine is fueled by highly efficient liquid oxygen and hydrogen. During flight, the only byproduct is water vapor with no carbon emissions.

The flight date will be announced soon.

https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-ns-25-mission-announcement

Follow Blue Origin on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and YouTube, and sign up on BlueOrigin.com to stay current on all mission details. 

About Blue Origin

Blue Origin is a private aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000. With its headquarters in Kent, Washington, Blue Origin aims to make space travel more accessible and sustainable. The company’s mission is centered around developing technologies to enable human colonization of space and to protect the Earth by shifting heavy industry to space.

Source: Blue Origin

https://stmdailynews.com/category/science

NASA is hosting a media call at 3 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, May 15, to discuss the agency’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission, which aims to improve life on Earth by studying heat loss from Earth’s polar regions and provide information on our changing climate.

The first of two shoebox-sized satellites is targeted to launch aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket no earlier than Wednesday, May 22. The launch date for the second satellite will be announced shortly after the launch of the first satellite.

Earth absorbs a lot of energy from the Sun at the tropics. Weather and ocean currents move that heat energy toward the poles, where the heat radiates upward into space. Much of that heat is in far-infrared wavelengths and has never been systematically measured. The data from PREFIRE will address this knowledge gap for the benefit of all by improving predictions of climate change and sea level rise.

The audio-only teleconference streamed live on the agency’s website.

Participants include:

• Karen St. Germain, director, Earth Science Division, NASA Headquarters in Washington
• Mary White, project manager, PREFIRE, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Southern California
• Tristan L’Ecuyer, principal investigator, PREFIRE, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Peter Beck, CEO and founder, Rocket Lab

To participate by telephone, media must RSVP no later than two hours before the start of the call, to Elizabeth Vlock at: elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov.

For more information about NASA’s PREFIRE mission, visit:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/prefire

https://stmdailynews.com/category/science

Source: NASA

Space Voyage Ventures is a newly launched website dedicated to space tourism and the advancements in space travel. It offers a comprehensive resource for individuals with an interest in astronautics and cosmic exploration. The website is divided into several sections that cover a range of topics related to space exploration.

The Space Travel Destinations section takes users on a virtual journey through the cosmos. It provides detailed information about various planets, remote areas of space, and ongoing missions. The Mars Projects category focuses on the Red Planet, while the Lunar Missions section explores Earth’s closest celestial neighbor. The Galactic Exploration part of the website looks at distant galaxies and cosmic phenomena, while the Current Achievements and Future Aspirations segment provides a timeline of major milestones and upcoming ventures in space exploration. The section on Space Tourism Visa Requirements breaks down the logistical aspects of space travel, including health and fitness standards and training prerequisites.

The Space Experience Guides section offers valuable insights into the preparation and experience of space travel. It covers topics such as pre-mission preparation, astronaut training, the effects of space on the body, health screenings, and life in zero gravity. The section also speculates on future expectations for space missions.

The Commercial Lunar Tourism section focuses on the groundbreaking projects currently in progress. It provides an overview of major commercial lunar tourism initiatives, including Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, and the DearMoon Project. Each subsection details the goals, progress, and vision of these projects.

The Upcoming Missions section keeps users informed about forthcoming space endeavors. It features information on NASA’s Artemis Program, the European Space Agency’s Lunar Pathfinder, China’s Chang’e Lunar Exploration Program, SpaceX’s Mars exploration plans, and Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef. The section provides updates on mission objectives, technology, and timelines.

The Explore Spacecrafts section offers an in-depth look at the spacecraft that propel astronauts into space. It showcases the design, engineering, and revolutionary technologies behind these crafts. Users can explore interactive 3D models and take virtual tours of the interiors of various spacecraft.

The Space Gear section unravels the intricacies of the equipment essential for space travel. It focuses on astronaut suits and the high-tech tools used during missions. Users can learn about the design, advanced technology, and safety protocols associated with astronaut suits. The section also explores the range of tools and devices used by astronauts during their missions.

Space Voyage Ventures aims to educate and inspire users, fostering a new generation of space enthusiasts and potential explorers. The website covers a wide range of topics related to space travel, making the vastness of space feel a little closer to home. It offers a front-row seat to the unfolding story of humanity’s journey among the stars.

Source: Ciaran Connolly, Space Voyage Ventures Founder

https://www.einpresswire.com/article/695017139/space-tourism-website-space-voyagers-launches

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