Final year female student sets 'record' by flying to the edge of space

Student Karsen Kitchen - Photo: ABC11

According to US media, on August 29, Blue Origin, the aerospace company owned by American billionaire Jeff Bezos, sent a team of six explorers to the edge of space, marking the successful completion of the company's next space tourism flight.

Karsen Kitchen, a senior at the University of North Carolina (USA), was on the flight.

With this flight, she became the youngest woman ever to cross the Kármán line – internationally recognized as the imaginary boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space.

Named after the physicist Theodore von Kármán, this road is located 100km above the Earth's surface.

The group of six went to the edge of space on August 29, including Karsen Kitchen (second from the left) - Photo: ABC11

The New Shepard rocket lifted off from Launch Site One, near the town of Van Horn, Texas, at 8:00 a.m. on August 29 (local time).

After separating from the rocket's booster stage, the spacecraft flew past the Kármán line, giving passengers the opportunity to admire the curvature of the Earth and unbuckle their seatbelts to experience weightlessness for a few minutes.

Afterward, the spacecraft re-enters the atmosphere, deploying parachutes to land in the desert near the launch site. The total flight time is typically around 10-11 minutes.

Student Karsen Kitchen - Photo: ABC11

Blue Origin has not publicly disclosed ticket prices, but there are reports suggesting that prices will vary significantly depending on the individual selected, their net worth, and the social standing they bring to the company.

For example, at a charity auction in 2021, a seat on a Blue Origin flight fetched $28 million. Meanwhile, notable guests such as actor William Shatner (from the science fiction series Star Trek) have taken Blue Origin flights for free. Others have reported paying hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nu-sinh-nam-cuoi-lap-ky-luc-khi-bay-len-ria-khong-gian-20240830100542182.htm