On October 13, Canadian TV legend William Shatner boarded the New Shepard aerospace craft and soared over 100 kilometers over a West Texas desert. The celebrated actor who took on the role of Captain Kirk on the hit television series Star Trek officially became the oldest person to enter outer space on Wednesday.
Shatner was accompanied by Dr. Chris Boshuizen, Audrey Powers, and Glen de Vries during his space voyage made possible by Jeff Bezos’ aerospace tourism venture, Blue Origin.
“What a miracle,” the 90-year-old actor related. “I’ve heard about space for a long time now,” Shatner added that he just had to take the opportunity to see outer space for himself.
Before Shatner’s Wednesday space tour, 82-year-old aviator Wally Funk was deemed the oldest person to enter outer space. Funk was on the first Blue Origin NS-16 flight that went to space with Jeff Bezos and his brother, Mark.
Before his space flight on Wednesday, Shatner shared his excitement on social media by tweeting that it was similar to that of a “boy playing on the seashore.”
”I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself, I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore,” Shatner’s tweet went. “Diverting myself in now & then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”
On a related note, Blue Origin announced having one other space tour before the year ended. It also revealed that more space tours are slated to take place next year.
