Blue Origin's NS-22 mission crew floats in space during recent joy ride to space; Watch

Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin accomplished its sixth crewed sub-orbital mission when it launched six astronauts to space on August 4 from West Texas. Named New Shepard 22 (NS-22), the mission lifted off at 7:27 pm IST and marked the success of the company’s 22nd overall launch mission. After lifting off toward the Karman Line, the internationally recognised boundary of space, the NS-22 mission crew experience a few minutes of weightlessness, before parachuting down into the desert of West Texas.

Although the crew was approximately 100 km above the Earth's surface, their excitement of floating the micro-gravity was captured in the cameras installed inside the New Shepard spacecraft. Earlier on Friday, Blue Origin shared a short clip showing the moments when the passengers experienced the lack of gravity and started floating inside the crew capsule. The astronauts were also seen screaming and waving to the camera as the New Shepard capsule soared over the Karman line. 

What was so special about the NS-22 mission?

After the crew capsule touched down in West Texas, O’Brien became the first woman to reach the world’s highest (Mt. Everest) and lowest (Challenger Deep) points—and reach space. She also created a Guinness World Record called Explorers' Extreme Trifecta. "I have taken the UN (United Nations) women's flag to the top of K2 but I realise that this is nowhere near representative of the height of which women can reach", O’Brien said. 

Besides, the mission also saw the first Egyptian (Sara Sabry) and first Portuguese (Mario Ferreira) astronauts launch into space. "I want to motivate the youngest generation to Portuguese that it is possible to go and discover the unknown", Ferreira said after his joy ride to space. "It's just an incredible honour to be representing Egypt in space for the very first time in history", said Sabry. 

Both Sabry and Ferreira were accompanied by YouTube channel Dude Perfect’s co-founder Coby Cotton, Clint Kelly III and Steve Young. While Kelly is a research scientist in the areas of computer science and robotics and Young is the former CEO of Young's Communications LLC (Y-COM) and a current member of the Space Coast Coastal Conservation Association (CCA).