Captain Kirk — aka William Shatner — finally
made it into space, part of the new wave of
civilian travelers sponsored by names like Bezos,
Musk and Branson who are slipping the surly
bonds of Earth 10 years after NASA’s shuttle
program ended. But there are big differences.
What does entrepreneurial space travel have
in common with its more nation-focused
counterpart, and what are the contrasts? How
are corporate space jaunts changing the face of
the trip?
The coverage reflects on the story and her own
experiences.
MARCIA DUNN, AP aerospace writer since 1990:
This year it was surreal to see ordinary people
being escorted to the launch pad to blast into
space. I mean, I’ve seen the astronauts, the
professionals, the cosmonauts — I’ve been to
Baikonur to see the Russians launch people —
but seeing ordinary people just go out to the
launch pad, climb into a rocket and blast into
orbit, that’s what happened in the Kennedy
Space Center here. First time in the U.S. where
paying customers blasted into orbit. And I
have to say, yes, the guy leading the charge is
a rich guy who paid for the entire flight, but he
took three ordinary people with him. And that
was just really just — I was just standing here
amazed, shaking my head seeing science fiction
turn into science fact.
It was just remarkable to be on site when
Jeff Bezos climbed aboard his own rocket to
become the first person in the world to fly his
own rocket and to take along his brother, right?
And two others, the oldest and the youngest
people in space. It’s just mind-boggling. And I