AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2017 - 36

PILOT BRIEFING
FIRST LOOK

To infinity
And beyond
What would you pay to launch into space?
BY THOMAS B. HAINES

WHAT WOULD YOU PAY for an 11-minute experience
that launches you into suborbital space for about four
minutes of weightlessness and then a spirited descent
through the atmosphere for a landing under canopy
about two miles from where you took off in West Texas?
The folks at Blue Origin hope your answer is "A lot!"
The company, owned by Amazon founder and
CEO Jeff Bezos, is working to deliver on that promise in the next one to two years. It isn't saying yet what
the trip might cost.
Attendees at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh got the
chance to gaze up at the 55-foot-tall BE-3 New Shepard
rocket, a scorched veteran of five suborbital launches
and now headed to a museum. Next to it, a shiny
mockup of the crew capsule provided a glimpse of what
space customers might experience on their intense, but
short journey to an apogee of about 330,000 feet-100
kilometers, right at the Karman line of 62 miles that
defines the edge of space. People lined up for hours at
points during the show to sit in the six-passenger capsule, which includes large windows and reclining seats
to help the travelers endure the 3-G launch experience
with peak pressures of up to 5 Gs.
During launch, the three engines in the New Shepard
rocket generate some 110,000 pounds of thrust, fueled
by liquid hydrogen. The booster is throttleable between
20,000 and 110,000 lbst, according to Ariane Cornell,
head of astronaut strategy and sales for Blue Origin. At
about 75 km in altitude, the rocket releases from the
capsule and returns to near its launch pad, landing vertically. A ring around the top of the rocket helps it stay
vertical during the descent. At about 20,000 feet, drag
brakes pop out of the side of the booster, cutting the
descent rate in half. A massive burst of engine power
at 3,600 feet further slows the descent, and the rocket
touches down on crushable legs. The goal is to quickly
inspect the engines and launch again in 24 hours. The
plan is for the engines to last for 25 flights. The rocket
itself should be good for about 100 launches. After

separation from the booster, the capsule will continue
its ascent. At apogee, the capsule will rotate slowly to
give all aboard a great view of Earth and space through
the six 1,000-square-inch windows.
During the capsule's descent, parachutes deploy to
ready it for a landing. Just above the surface, a blast of air
slows it to a gentle landing. Should an emergency occur
during ascent, a solid-rocket escape motor on the capsule can propel it away from the rocket for a safe return.
The New Shepard rocket has been successfully
launched five times. The next flight with a new rocket
will carry a capsule more reflective of the one that will
carry passengers, including those massive windows to
test their durability.
While passenger flights are about a year away, according to Cornell, work continues on the four-engine BE-4
New Glenn rocket, which is meant to carry payloads into
orbit. New Shepard is named after Alan Shepard, the first
American in space; New Glenn after John Glenn, the first
American in orbit.
The building-block approach to more advanced
flights reflects the company's motto, Gradatim Ferociter:
step by step, ferociously. New Shepard has a turtle painted
on it after each flight, a reminder that slow and sure wins
the race.
EMAIL thomas.haines@aopa.org

WEB

www.blueorigin.com

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2017