‘Every shade of blue’: Ocean Township alum reveals what he saw on Blue Origin space flight – Asbury Park Press

Strahan, others take brief flight in space capsule

Football star and TV celebrity Michael Strahan caught a ride to space with Jeff Bezos' rocket-launching company Saturday, sharing the trip with the daughter of America's first astronaut. (Dec. 11)

AP

Ocean Township High School alumnus Lane Besshas boldly gone to space.

It's been three days since heblastedover what's known as the Krmn line and he's trying to put the experience into words for curious minds. So far, he's come up with"tranquil."

"What you see is a beautiful planet that's been here for billions of years and looks so peaceful. And it just really gives you a calming feeling. It brings to your mind the question, 'Why can't the earth be as peaceful on the planet as it seems from up here?'" Bess said.

TheKrmn line isthe internationally recognized boundary of space. It's62 miles, or330,000 feet, from the ground.

He flew on Blue Origin's spacecraft New Shepard. On the flightwashis son Cameron, 23;Laura Shepard Churchley, the daughter of the late astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American to travel into space;former New York Giant and co-host of "Good Morning America"Michael Strahan;Dylan Taylor, chairman & CEO of Voyager Space;and Evan Dick, a venture capitalist and airplane pilot.

Blue Origin was created by Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of retailing giant Amazon.

Space tourism: Ocean Township H.S. alum Lane Bess heading to space on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin

Bess said one of the thingsthey did when they were weightless was tosssmall footballs to each other, courtesy of Strahan.

Blue Origin named theirspace flight "The Original Six," because it was the first of New Shepard's flights to carry a full passenger manifestof sixastronauts. The rocket was controlled from the ground. The flight was the rocket's 19th, though most of thosewere unmanned test launches.

Bess, a 1979 graduate of Ocean Township High School,andhis son Cameronalso made a bit of space history as the first parent/child combo to fly into space.

The flight was scheduledto launch from West Texas last Thursday, but due to strong winds was delayed until Saturday morning. They flew during the day so Bess said they did not see the moon or the stars, just vast darkness out toward space. The earth glowed several hues of blue.

"It was a day launch so you don't really see the stars. You see black. You see darkness, you see every shade of blue from the earth's sky," Bess said

Since they shot up from Texas, Bess said he could make out certain features of the United States, such as theRocky Mountains to theGulf of Mexico. They could see about one eighth of the earth's circumferencefrom their position.

They traveled at a speed of 2,800 mphon departure. They reached space in less than threeminutes. When they returned, the capsule floated down with parachutes and touched down in the soft desert sand, about four miles from the launch pad. The total flight time was about 11 minutes.

Blue Origin said itsvision ismillions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth.

Bess said he already wants to go up again, and said it's very possible that in the future people willcommute to space on short flights such as the one he took. Space exploration and the search for resources have already begun toaccelerate now that private investors are getting involved.

Blue Origin hasn't disclosed the ticket cost for New Shepard, and Bess has said he's not permitted by the company to reveal what he paid.

"These trips aren't about joy rides. It's about improving thetechnology," said Bess, who made his wealth providing venture capital to tech start-ups in the Silicon Valley.

Today, he'sthe principal and founder of Bess Ventures and Advisory, a family fund supporting technology firms, andlives in Miami Beach and Silicon Valley with his wife and three kids. He still has family at the Jersey Shore.

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.

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'Every shade of blue': Ocean Township alum reveals what he saw on Blue Origin space flight - Asbury Park Press