According to Star Trek actor William Shatner, the most difficult part of going into Space with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company is getting in and out from his New Shepard spacecraft.
Shatner (90) will be the oldest person to fly into space. He will launch with a crew of four people on Wednesday. This is due to wind conditions at the launchpad, west Texas, which delayed his departure by one day.
Shatner said Monday that the only thing that applies to this vehicle's age is how it can be accessed with arthritis.
If you are not very flexible, it can be difficult to get in and out of the chairs in weight when youre in gravity. It was designed for us to be able to glide out of the seats in weightlessness.
Shatner was asked how he felt ahead of the launch. He previously said that he was afraid. I'll be happy to go up in weightlessness and feel safe. Everything else should be fine.
That moment of inspiration is what I think will come when we are looking at the vastness of space.
Bezos's presence at Shatners event is a coup de public relations for the company, which has been accused by former and current employees of sexism at work.
Blue Origin and Bezos are attempting to make a profit by selling space travel. There have been concerns about the impact on the environment of this private space race.
Bezos traveled on Blue Origins' first flight in July with his brother Wally Funk, a former test pilot. At 82, he was the oldest person in space and Oliver Daemen, an 18 year old paying customer, was the youngest.
Shatner will be joined by Glen de Vries (executive at Dassault Systmes), Chris Boshuizen (a former Nasa engineer, and cofounder of Planet Labs), Audrey Powers (vice-president mission and flight operations, Blue Origin), and Chris Boshuizen (a former Nasa engineer, and cofounder of Planet Labs).
