Why did Jeff Bezos go to Space : What are The Major Reasons
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com and Blue Origin, has been fascinated with space. He is the richest man in the world, and he's only 54 years old.
He has been the CEO of Amazon since 1994. In fact, he was just named one of the richest people in America by Forbes with a net worth of $64 billion!
The recent launch of his own rocket, Blue Origin's New Shepard was unmanned, sparked more interest and speculation as to why he would go through the trouble.
Blue Origin's New Shepard & Jeff Bezos’s Space Travel
Blue Origin's New Shepard has been designed from scratch to take tourists on commercial suborbital flights into outer space. The company was founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in 2000 and their motto is: "Gradatim Ferociter" or step by step ferociously.
They have launched two test vehicles, one in 2006 and another in 2007 respectively but no launches since then until October 2016 when they successfully completed a test flight of their New Shepard rocket, successfully reaching suborbital space and then landing the booster back on earth.
The New Shepard's propulsion system uses a bi-propelar rocket with two microthrusters on the aft end of the vehicle that provide directional control and lateral acceleration during orbital flight.
It will last around 100 seconds before burning out and then returning back down towards earth where parachutes can slow descent speed at touchdown for safe landings.
It also features an escape pod which would eject if anything catastrophic happened while in orbit so all space tourists are guaranteed a ride home even if something goes wrong.
Blue origin plans to build six New Shepards: one crew capsule (featuring their "buddy" seating configuration) and one booster with a microthruster for each of the six seats, to carry up to 18 passengers at a time.
The spacecraft features large windows, reclining seats, plenty of room for personal items and includes Wi-Fi connectivity in every seat back entertainment package. Passengers will experience four minutes of weightlessness before returning to Earth.
New Shepard is designed for a 200-kilometer (120 statute mile) suborbital flight with a 97% success rate, carrying six astronauts or payloads weighing up to 660 pounds each into space and back again safely.
The New Shepard design offers access to suborbital altitudes at four times the speed of sound (Mach) comparable to commercial jetliners flown on long haul transcontinental routes today.
On the other hand, Elon Musksk's SpaceX company has developed the Falcon series which also takes off and lands vertically. It's a reusable spacecraft built to transport cargo and humans into orbit, as well as other planets in our solar system.
The goal of the project was to reduce the cost of spaceflight by reusing an integrated rocket-spacecraft system with vertical takeoffs and landings, so it could be used for many decades instead of just one flight.
Some Good Reasons Why did Jeff Bezos go to Space
The reasons why Jeff Bezos is going to space has been a topic of discussion for quite some time. So let’s discuss, what are the reasons and why it was important for him?
Experience Microgravity:
Jeff Bezos went to space to experience microgravity because microgravity is a phenomenon that affects weightlessness.
Scientific Research Purposes:
Jeff Bezos went to space for scientific research purposes. Amazon has deep roots in the world of science and technology. One way why Jeff Bezos went into space was because he wanted the chance to develop new technologies.
Educational Purpose:
He wanted to inspire students especially by being able to look back on Earth from orbit, as it rotates below him.
Make Space as a Tourism:
Space tourism is the fastest growing industry in the world. Space has been seen as a new frontier for exploration, commerce and human lives. So Jeff Bezos went to space because he wanted to make it into a tourist place.
To Show the World that America Still has It:
This one seems very plausible. Jeff Bezos went into space because he wanted to prove something about America and its ability to do things and lead in the space world.
To Figure Out What is Beyond Our Earth:
This one really seems like the true reason why Jeff Bezos went up into space in a giant, expensive rocket. The man has an insatiable curiosity and why would Jeff Bezos not want to explore what is beyond our Earth.
A Challenge to His Competitors:
This one also seems very plausible given the competitive nature of Jeff Bezos and spaceX. Why would they not want each other to win? Jeff Bezos went into space as a way to beat his competitor at their own game.
Real Estate Development on Mars/Moon:
Jeff Bezos could have gone into space for some real estate development on Mars and Moon.
See what Life Looks Like from up High:
Jeff Bezos went into space to experience life from a different perspective. He wants to see what the world looks like when people no longer need to live on one planet but can instead travel and explore freely among themselves in space.
Human Settlement on Mars:
Humans need places outside their home planet in order to survive for any length of time on Earth. His company Blue Origin is developing the technologies that could one day enable human settlement on Mars.
Some people say humans are biologically not suited for living long term in low gravity situations because our bones and muscles deteriorate when they lack the regular pressure found here on Earth.
We live in a time when we are running out of resources and it's becoming more difficult to find clean water, food or livable spaces because every inch of land has been covered by buildings and highways.
And while this may be true Jeff believes we need more data before he starts making decisions about what the future will look like for humanity as earth’s population continues to grow and becomes increasingly difficult to sustain with only one planet at our disposal.
Learn About Why Asteroids Killed Dinosaurs:
One reason Jeff went into space was so he could learn why asteroids killed all the Dinosaurs millions years ago. He hopes this type of knowledge might help us avoid another mass extinction event on earth in our future if there ever is one again which seems inevitable with how fast population sizes grow around the world today.
Find Other Life in Space:
He wants to find other life in space, even if it's just bacteria that we can learn from and someday possibly be able to live alongside without endangering us or them.
Making this Earth Livable for Future Generations:
Jeff also wants to show other children why it's important for us all to work together if we are going to make this earth livable for future generations who will live here many years after our time has passed.
Selling His Services Worldwide:
His Company has been working on a new orbital rocket and he plans to use the experience that comes from being in space himself as an asset when selling his services worldwide.
Start New Business:
The amount of resources in Earth’s orbit is staggering, with enough material up there for 100 more galaxies worth of solar systems.
Bezos sees this as potential opportunities for future business ventures even if they only involve mining asteroids or extracting rare metals found in meteorites but not here on Earth.
To Create New Jobs:
Jeff believes going into space will not only give us new insights about our own solar system but also help create jobs here on Earth.
For example, if we can harvest resources from asteroids then those materials could dramatically reduce production costs when building things back here at home.
To See How Far Away from Earth We are
If you look out the window of a plane on your way to another city, it's pretty easy to spot how far away from home we are.
If we want to see how far away from earth we are. Then all Jeff has to do is go into space and take pictures of Earth as seen by a Nasa astronaut in orbit.
To Show People that Going to Space is Achievable
He wants to show people that going for an astronaut are achievable, even if they don't have skills in rocket science or know how to build a spacecraft.
These are reasons why Jeff Bezos went into space.
How did Jeff Bezos Complete His Space Journey?
Jeff Bezos completed his space journey on a rocket-docking spacecraft controlled by SpaceX, the private aerospace company that he also founded. His trip lasted six hours and included weightless time, according to The Verge.
How did New Shepard Land in Space?
New Shepard landed in space by using parachutes to help slow the capsule's descent.
The parachutes were deployed in a sequence to ensure that the capsule slowed down sufficiently before reaching ground. In order for New Shepard's landing system to work, there needs to be enough aerodynamic lift.
It is descending through the earth's atmosphere which can only happen at high altitude. When New Shepard gets close to the ground and air density increases, its descent rate begins to slow down.
At about 300 feet above the ground, New Shepherd's crew module separates from its propulsion module and falls the rest of the way like a skydiver deploying his parachute.
As it descends, seven onboard parachutes deploy in succession at an altitude of roughly 15,000 ft (4572 m) and a speed of roughly 140 miles per hour.
New Shepard's final parachute is deployed at an altitude of about 1000 ft (305 m).
The spacecraft descends with its landing gear down until it contacts the ground, typically within 20 feet (about 600 cm).
The touchdown was planned to occur on terra firma but in the event of landing on a less-than-solid surface (sand, for example), New Shepard's crew module can hover up to 20 seconds and then safely drop.
How did Jeff Bezos Come Back to Earth?
Jeff Bezos was in space for about six hours. He traveled to the International Space Station with his crewmates.
They have spent months on board conducting research and preparing him for this mission. The trip home took just under three-and-a-half hours.
Three times longer than his time at the station because he had help from a backup rocket engine on the Soyuz spacecraft.
How Much did Bezos Pay to Go to Space?
Space tourism can be expensive. Some of these costs include the time and training for a space flight, as well as purchasing stakes in companies that offer commercial flights into space (such as Blue Origin).
When Jeff Bezos went to Space he paid $200 million dollars from his own pocket on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.
The cost is different depending on where you buy your ticket or how much you invest in a company like Blue Origin, but it typically ranges between $20-$80 thousand dollars per person according to CNBC.
Who Went to Space with Jeff Bezos?
The Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has said he will fly to space with his brother. So, Bezos' brother, aviation pioneer and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen were on the first human flight launched by his space company, Blue Origin.
He's teamed up with a long-time NASA astronaut who flew on five missions and spent more than 53 hours in space.
The two are expected to be passengers on a tourist outing, meaning they won't be performing any experiments or conducting research of their own.
What did Jeff Bezos do in Space?
Jeff Bezos participated in an experiment from the Air Force Research Lab called the "cold atom lab", according to Space.com, and he also took photos of the Earth from space.
What Obstacles did Jeff Bezos Face Going to Space?
Jeff Bezos faced challenges with his own company, Amazon, before starting this journey into outer space.
According to The Verge on February 27th 2019, Amazon's stock price was at a low point of $16.82, and the company's profits were down more than 50%.
What Challenges does Jeff Bezos Still Face Returning from Space?
Jeff Bezos' return home wasn't made any easier by President Trump cancelling some funding for NASA in March 2019, according to The Verge on April 17th 2019.
Where can You Find Flight Tickets to go with Jeff Bezos on His Space Tour?
Tickets are available now and can be purchased from Blue Origin's website or through an Amazon Chime Meeting with an authorized representative. The price for a ticket on this one-week flight to outer space starts at $200,000.
Conclusion:
We are excited to see what the future of space travel looks like and where it leads. Billionaire Jeff Bezos is a visionary and an innovator who has never been afraid to pursue his dreams. He's one of those people that will go down in history for being a pioneer in this new era of human exploration.
