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8 durhamcitizen.ca July 20, 2021

Jeff Bezos blasts into

space on own rocket:

'Best day ever!'

own flight from New Mexico and wine, spraying one another.
beat him to space by nine days. “My expectations were high and
The two private companies chasing they were dramatically exceeded,”
space tourism dollars, though, Bezos said later.
have drawn criticism for catering to Their flight lasted 10 minutes and
the rich while so many are 10 seconds - five minutes shy of
struggling amid the pandemic. Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 flight in
During Tuesday's flight, Blue 1961. Shepard's daughters, Laura
Origin's capsule reached an and Julie, were introduced at a
altitude of about 66 miles (106 press event a few hours later.
kilometers), more than 10 miles (16 Sharing Bezos' dream-come-true
kilometers) higher than Branson's adventure was Wally Funk, from
July 11 ride. The 60-foot (18-meter) the Dallas area, one of 13 female
booster accelerated to Mach 3 or pilots who went through the same
three times the speed of sound to tests as NASA's all-male astronaut
Jeff Bezos:
'Best day ever!' get the capsule high enough, before corps in the early 1960s but never
separating and landing upright. made it into space.
Unlike Branson's piloted rocket “I've been waiting a long time to
VAN HORN, Texas (AP) - Jeff plane, Bezos' capsule was finally get it up there,” Funk said. more test flights from New Mexico drastically increase those overall
Bezos blasted into space Tuesday completely automated and “I want to go again - fast,” she before launching customers next numbers, as does SpaceX's Elon
on his rocket company's first flight required no official staff on board added. year. Musk, who's skipping brief space
with people on board, becoming for the up-and-down flight. Four hours after their flight, Bezos Blue Origin's approach was slower hops and sending his private
the second billionaire in just over a During their several minutes of drove his crew over to see the rocket and more deliberate. After 15 clients straight to orbit for tens of
week to ride his own spacecraft. weightlessness, video from inside that carried them safely to space. . successful unoccupied test flights millions apiece, with the first flight
T h e A m a z o n f o u n d e r w a s the capsule showed the four Blue Origin - founded by Bezos in to space since 2015, Bezos finally coming up in September.
accompanied by a hand-picked floating, doing somersaults, 2000 in Kent, Washington, near declared it was time to put people “We're going to build a road to
group: his brother, an 18-year-old tossing Skittles candies and Amazon's Seattle headquarters - on board. The Federal Aviation space so our kids and their kids can
from the Netherlands and an 82- throwing balls, with lots of hasn't revealed its price for a ride to Administration agreed last week, build the future,” Bezos said. “We
year-old aviation pioneer from c h e e r i n g , w h o o p i n g a n d space but has lined up spots for approving the commercial space need to do that to solve the
Texas - the youngest and oldest to exclamations of “Wow!” The Bezos other auction bidders. Ticket sales, license. problems here on Earth.”
ever fly in space. brother also joined their palms to including the auction, are Bezos, 57, who also owns The Branson sent a congratulatory
“Best day ever!” Bezos said when display a “HI MOM” greeting approaching $100 million, Bezos Washington Post, claimed the first tweet: “Impressive! Very best to all
the capsule touched down on the written on their hands. The capsule said. Two more flights are planned seat. The next went to his 50-year- the crew from me and all the team”
desert floor in remote West Texas landed under parachutes, with by year's end. old brother, Mark Bezos, an at Virgin Galactic.
after the 10-minute flight. Bezos and his guests briefly The recycled rocket and capsule investor and volunteer firefighter, Included in the many people that
Named after America's first experiencing nearly six times the used Tuesday flew on the last two then Funk and Daemen. They Bezos thanked Tuesday was “every
astronaut, Blue Origin's New force of gravity, or 6 G's, on the way space demos, according to spent two days together in training. Amazon employee and every
Shepard rocket soared on the 52nd back. company officials. Bezos stepped down this month as Amazon customer. Because you
anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon Led by Bezos, they climbed out of Virgin Galactic already has more Amazon's CEO and last week guys paid for all this.” Bezos has
landing, a date chosen by Bezos for the capsule after touchdown with than 600 reservations at $250,000 donated $200 million to renovate said he finances the rocket
its historical significance. He held wide grins, embracing parents, apiece. Founded by Branson in the National Air and Space company by selling $1 billion in
fast to it, even as Virgin Galactic's partners and children, then 2004, the company has sent crew Museum. Amazon stock each year.
Richard Branson pushed up his popped open bottles of sparkling into space four times and plans two Both Bezos and Branson want to

Canadians see NDP's Singh

as a better PM than Tories'

O'Toole, survey suggests

OTTAWA — NDP Leader Jagmeet The online survey, conducted July
Singh might have reason to smile 16 to 18, polled 2,069 Canadians. It
only weeks before a possible cannot be assigned a margin of Studies had 25 per cent of
election call as a new survey error because internet-based polls respondents picking Trudeau
suggests more Canadians believe are not considered random as the best prime minister,
he would make a better prime samples. Singh wasn’t far behind with
minister than the Conservatives' The survey could represent bad 19 per cent while only
Erin O’Toole. n e w s fo r O ’ To o l e a n d t h e 13 per cent chose O’Toole.
While the survey by Leger and the Conservatives as they continue to
Association for Canadian Studies bump against what Leger executive
had 25 per cent of respondents vice-president Christian Bourque
picking Justin Trudeau as the best described as a “30 per cent glass
prime minister, Singh wasn’t far c e i l i n g ” u n d e r O ’ To o l e ’ s the party.
behind with 19 per cent while only leadership. “The NDP could end up with 20 per
13 per cent chose O’Toole. Yet it could also signal trouble for cent of the vote and 10 seats, or 20 the Liberals handled the COVID-19 the writ, but it likely remains the
The survey also found a three per Trudeau’s chances of winning a per cent of the vote and 30 seats,” pandemic if he wants to have any least worst for the next little while,”
cent increase in support for the majority Liberal government as Bourque said. chance of winning a coveted Bourque said in an email.
NDP among decided voters, who previous election results have seen “A lot will ride on Singh’s skills and majority government. “Liberals need to eat support from
otherwise remained largely the Liberals suffer from strong strategic voting. The more the CPC The survey found that 55 per cent of the NDP and Greens, but also the
unchanged in their support for the support for the NDP. is a threat, the more the Liberals respondents believed Trudeau had Bloc Quebecois. That’s why
Liberals and Tories. Bourque nonetheless cautioned will eat into NDP support in performed well or very well in running on their COVID-19 record
Thirty-four per cent of decided against overstating how the NDP’s Ontario, Quebec and, maybe, managing the pandemic, the area — and record overall — needs to
voters said they supported the apparent uptick in support will Manitoba.” where he had the most such work.”
Liberals, while the Conservatives play out during an election, saying Bourque believes the time is now positive reviews. -Lee Berthiaume,
stood at 29 per cent and the NDP at that the results don’t necessarily for Trudeau to call an election and “For Liberal strategists, this may The Canadian Press
22 per cent. translate into additional seats for try to ride popular support for how not be the optimal window to drop