Jeff Bezos and brother to fly to space in Blue Origin flight

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57386049

At least if things go wrong, the team doesn’t have to worry about the boss coming down on them too hard.

Unless of course they’re standing outside

FGITD wrote:

At least if things go wrong, the team doesn’t have to worry about the boss coming down on them too hard.

Unless of course they’re standing outside

**RIMSHOT**

LOL, well played...

We will see if what Elon Musk's Tweet was accurate, Blue Orgin Can't get it up (to Orbit) lol.

At least he will experience gig workers' living conditions for few hours.

They announced tonight on the news that there was a window seat still open for the flight. Maybe Mark Zuckerberg would be up for the experience??

Yeah, isn't it like 2.8 million? For a guy who just fans off 1,000,000 $1000's a year something seems up with the pricing. Like don't you even land in the same state?

meecrob wrote:

Like don't you even land in the same state?

Yeah, basically it just goes straight up and comes back straight down, nothing really exciting there and not even remotely close to what SpaceX is going to do/offer with Starship. Also makes we wonder why Bezos complained about NASA awarding their contracts to SpaceX. Blue Origin is so far away from putting anything in orbit, let alone reach the moon, that this complaint just sounds totally ridiculous.

Haha, they have a mock up!

The seat is up for auction, we'll see how much it will end up at. I would take it if it would be a tiny amount of my wealth, otherwise no, I would wait for more.

I also heard on the evening news here about "going to orbit", which is distinctly not what is going on here, quite the opposite in fact. And it's even hinted at by its name, New Shepard, but you'd have to know a thing or two about what you're talking about to realize...

No, I get it, this is the one you piss yourself on. Cuz thats what Shepard did....its not like some lord of the fucking rings mystic tome!

Zeppi wrote:

meecrob wrote:

Like don't you even land in the same state?

Yeah, basically it just goes straight up and comes back straight down, nothing really exciting there and not even remotely close to what SpaceX is going to do/offer with Starship. Also makes we wonder why Bezos complained about NASA awarding their contracts to SpaceX. Blue Origin is so far away from putting anything in orbit, let alone reach the moon, that this complaint just sounds totally ridiculous.

There's the irony, the founder of Amazon not be able to deliver and then goes and bitches about it.
To the government he works damn hard to avoid paying tax to.

GDB wrote:

To the government he works damn hard to avoid paying tax to.

Perspective. Considering the government is paying Elon to build electric cars with tax breaks.

Of course, I love my Model 3. But Amazon Prime (and also Netflix) made life during the pandemic a lot more bearable.

If I could aford it I would go sub orbital. There are only so many slots to space in the near term and who knows if you are going to be healthy enough by the time Space X slots becomes available.

bt

In his defense, its gotta be hard to deliver when you literally paid no taxes for years. I mean only suckers pay taxes amirite?

meecrob wrote:

In his defense, its gotta be hard to deliver when you literally paid no taxes for years. I mean only suckers pay taxes amirite?

How many years was Amazon losing money while he build up his business? It is easy to take pot shot now that he's the richest man. Same with Musk. Both have huge egos but the competition they generate is what we all need.

Both Space X and Blue Origin is in it for the long haul. Space X is currently ahead, but we all need Blue Origin to keep pushing.

I have no problem with their whining and tax break as long the Both push themselves to get the rest of us in to Space. Heck, there are tons of small business not paying a cent of federal taxes and those business don't directly impact me either.

bt

A difference is that Jeff hates paying taxes. There are shells around shells that were created to ensure exactly that. Or, when margins started to climb, he would call Jassy and tell him to cut pricing so that they didn't profit from AWS. Any time they had profit was money the government would tax, so why have a profit? Just plow the revenue in to growth.

I don't think Tesla or SpaceX have groups of people doing the same.

SpaceX basically gives billions to the US government...

...by not demanding the ULA fantasy prices. Amazon, on the other hand, heavily uses government-paid infrastructure for free, namely roads.

And I've not yet heard about a single SpaceX employee who has to live on food stamps.

flyingturtle wrote:

SpaceX basically gives billions to the US government...

...by not demanding the ULA fantasy prices. Amazon, on the other hand, heavily uses government-paid infrastructure for free, namely roads.

And I've not yet heard about a single SpaceX employee who has to live on food stamps.

Yep, it's about results. Musk is well, eccentric and some of his ideas like the Loop are silly.
But who can question his record on space?
More than the savings in support to the ISS, satellite launches, which have included ones for the US Government, the money he got from NASA back in the day I would contend has more than been paid back in those lowered costs, getting manned spaceflight from US rockets on US soil, now the tie up with Artemis.

How does the ledger on Bezos's side look?

Despite the odd ticks in his personality, which has got him in hot water more than once, Musk has also been a superb ambassador for spaceflight.

Daetrin wrote:

A difference is that Jeff hates paying taxes. There are shells around shells that were created to ensure exactly that. Or, when margins started to climb, he would call Jassy and tell him to cut pricing so that they didn't profit from AWS. Any time they had profit was money the government would tax, so why have a profit? Just plow the revenue in to growth.

I don't think Tesla or SpaceX have groups of people doing the same.

Elon doesn't pay taxes?

True, Musk is a tech Geek and Bezos is a business geek. It colours how they approach space flight. But just as Gates and Allen made their own contribution to Microsoft, you want both Bezos and Musk to succeed in their space endeavor, by hook or crook.

bt

I wanna see an aerospace engineer, not JP Morgan counting his money. I mean its technically spaceflight and I get that the CEO wants to prove their technology by riding it, but Bezos seems to be in this for slow integration, not innovation. Same with Branson...its like they picked the easiest things, then dicked around for over a decade and now realize if its not now, its over. These dead ends are how we got to this place in space technology.

MadAstronaut wrote:

Daetrin wrote:

A difference is that Jeff hates paying taxes. There are shells around shells that were created to ensure exactly that. Or, when margins started to climb, he would call Jassy and tell him to cut pricing so that they didn't profit from AWS. Any time they had profit was money the government would tax, so why have a profit? Just plow the revenue in to growth.

I don't think Tesla or SpaceX have groups of people doing the same.

Elon doesn't pay taxes?

To be totally fair, I bet he pays way less than he technically should.

Edit: Musk I mean...Bezos we already know...

MadAstronaut wrote:

Daetrin wrote:

A difference is that Jeff hates paying taxes. There are shells around shells that were created to ensure exactly that. Or, when margins started to climb, he would call Jassy and tell him to cut pricing so that they didn't profit from AWS. Any time they had profit was money the government would tax, so why have a profit? Just plow the revenue in to growth.

I don't think Tesla or SpaceX have groups of people doing the same.

Elon doesn't pay taxes?

Apologies, I meant that this is how *Amazon* works per Jeff's directions, not Jeff's personal finances. However given this is how he ran Amazon may be indicative of his personal life as well, but that part I'm not qualified to comment on.

meecrob wrote:

I wanna see an aerospace engineer, not JP Morgan counting his money. I

Trust me, you do not want an Engineer to run an Arospace company. You want a person with vision and knows how to get the right people to do the job.

Bezos may not be likeable, but he got the right people to operate Amazon efficiently (low wage not and all). For Blue Origin, he got the right Engineers (motivated ex Boeing Enginers among others who want a more challenging jobs).

bt

meecrob wrote:

MadAstronaut wrote:

Daetrin wrote:

A difference is that Jeff hates paying taxes. There are shells around shells that were created to ensure exactly that. Or, when margins started to climb, he would call Jassy and tell him to cut pricing so that they didn't profit from AWS. Any time they had profit was money the government would tax, so why have a profit? Just plow the revenue in to growth.

I don't think Tesla or SpaceX have groups of people doing the same.

Elon doesn't pay taxes?

To be totally fair, I bet he pays way less than he technically should.

Edit: Musk I mean...Bezos we already know...

True, it's also a failure of politics, we know how it works, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are bribed, sorry receive funding to influence policies to serve their (real) masters.
Not just there, in the UK we have the most corrupt government in living memory.
The recent international agreement on tax is a step, however it is feared Amazon will get around them and as stated, still make huge profits but have employees on food stamps.

Musk is a tech geek who became an engineer, he clearly has a goal in reviving beyond LEO manned spaceflight but now in an economically sustainable way.

Not that I wish ill on Bezos and Blue Origin's efforts, better yet if they start to get a move on with for instance New Glenn.
With the ULA contract they have shown they can build an engine.

So if something goes wrong, we get a twofer?

johns624 wrote:

So if something goes wrong, we get a twofer?

Bit hard on the brother! Of course not so long ago maybe his wife would have been there! (Unless She was never on board for being well, on board).
Having watched some of these tests of the system, it does seem a robust a way of doing this, safer in fact than Virgin 'Galactic'.

Now we may understand why Jeff Bezos is stepping down as CEO of Amazon, to lead his next company, Blue Origin into a new space race against SpaceX and others. It seems a bit risky for a centibillionaire to ride on the first flight, so we shall see what happens. Hopefully, he will return safely. Moreover, it's a great PR trick for Blue Origin

bearnard123 wrote:

It seems a bit risky for a centibillionaire to ride on the first flight, so we shall see what happens. Hopefully, he will return safely.

Why not? He would be the first billionaire test pilot.

As for the risk. These rockets are designed for commercial space flight. If the regulation for commercial space flight is anything like commercial airplanes, then it would be not much more risk than the first flight of a 787.

Perhaps not much more risk than if Bill Gates takes his Porche out for a spin on the 405.

bt

bikerthai wrote:

bearnard123 wrote:

It seems a bit risky for a centibillionaire to ride on the first flight, so we shall see what happens. Hopefully, he will return safely.

Why not? He would be the first billionaire test pilot.

As for the risk. These rockets are designed for commercial space flight. If the regulation for commercial space flight is anything like commercial airplanes, then it would be not much more risk than the first flight of a 787.

Perhaps not much more risk than if Bill Gates takes his Porche out for a spin on the 405.

bt

It just a bit weird to hear commercial space flight) I guess in some time we will become accustomed to it if the project of commercial space flight gets success

GDB wrote:

johns624 wrote:

So if something goes wrong, we get a twofer?

Bit hard on the brother!

Collateral damage...

3rd seat just went for $28M.

For a suborbital flight.

Yeah that's crazy. Didn't the first space tourist pay about 50mil, including a few days on the ISS ?

I believe so.

I’m pretty sure I heard that the $28M would be donated to charity. Likely a tax write off.

Lot of cash for a short ride.

Aesma wrote:

Yeah that's crazy. Didn't the first space tourist pay about 50mil, including a few days on the ISS ?

I expect the crane collector from South Padre Island to offer an orbital flight for 27 millions per seat...

Love him or hate him, you have to respect his decision on the latest passenger on the list.

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/wally- ... ce-launch/

bt

Great flight, and they did make it to the Von Karman line


I am excited to see the New Glenn when they can get it going.

Congrats to the first crewed flight!

Well, I know that Jeff Bezos isn't in the space business. He's in the suborbital space tourism business. Yet the live commentary was obnoxious. "Unbelievable! Unbelievable!"

Their speakers would die of violent orgasms if they were able to witness a Crew Dragon launch.

Im not a Bezos fan in the least bit, but what he's done with Blue Origin is amazing. Congrats on their successful flight, I woke up early on the west coast to watch it and I'm glad I did. Having Funk on board made it even better.

flyingturtle wrote:

Congrats to the first crewed flight!

Well, I know that Jeff Bezos isn't in the space business. He's in the suborbital space tourism business.

Technically, he IS in the space businesses. The larger engines an boosters being developed says as much. It's just that currently he is marketing space tourism.

Remember when folk says Amazon was just an on-line book seller?

bt

PS. I Agee with the annoying speaker (singular).

Have to agree, there’s a number of things you can complain about Blue Origin over, but they are indeed in the space business.

We’ve seen glimpses of what they’re working on, and it’s clearly more than just New Shepard and their space tourism program. There was even the occurrence a few months back where they left a facility door open, and there was clearly something very large being worked on in there.

I think BO is going to end up going down the road of becoming more of a supplier though. Building engines etc, partnering up with other launchers, which they’re already doing.

I like Blue, I want them to do well but my goodness are they a hassle to follow. No information ever comes out

flyingturtle wrote:

SpaceX basically gives billions to the US government...

...by not demanding the ULA fantasy prices. Amazon, on the other hand, heavily uses government-paid infrastructure for free, namely roads.

And I've not yet heard about a single SpaceX employee who has to live on food stamps.

Musk is heavily subsidized and his cars don't pay fuel taxes and by extension don't pay for roads they use. Nevermind the heavily subsidized source of fuel for his cars.

SoCalPilot wrote:

Im not a Bezos fan in the least bit, but what he's done with Blue Origin is amazing. Congrats on their successful flight, I woke up early on the west coast to watch it and I'm glad I did. Having Funk on board made it even better.

Same here, it is a different ball game to Virgin with Blue Origin, albeit the latter being very much a work in progress.
I doubt Branson even knew who Wally Funk is and you'd have to have a heart of stone not to want to see her reach at least beyond the Karman Line.

DL717 wrote:

his cars don't pay fuel taxes and by extension don't pay for roads they use.

Please do not generalize. Where I live, I pay an annual licensing fee significantly above and beyond the typical fee, specifically targeting electric vehicle. Speaking of which, I also pay tax on the electricity I spent to charge my vehicle.

bt

DL717 wrote:

Nevermind the heavily subsidized source of fuel for his cars.

And where I live, the electricity may be cheap, but it is regulated and any subsidies would have been paid off long ago after them dams were built. But to say it is subsidized is diverting attention from the oil and ethanol subsidies that my other car consume.

bt

DL717 wrote:

flyingturtle wrote:

SpaceX basically gives billions to the US government...

...by not demanding the ULA fantasy prices. Amazon, on the other hand, heavily uses government-paid infrastructure for free, namely roads.

And I've not yet heard about a single SpaceX employee who has to live on food stamps.

Musk is heavily subsidized and his cars don't pay fuel taxes and by extension don't pay for roads they use. Nevermind the heavily subsidized source of fuel for his cars.

The money NASA put into Space X a decade or so ago has been paid back and then some, in cheaper launches (including for the US government), not to mention getting the US back into manned flight, unless you thought increasingly paying through the nose with the Russians was better than the horror of subsidizing a, as it turned out, game changing launch system.

Or just wait for the other team, y'know from the Company that sucks off the government teat more than most, who haven't, despite all the support, financial, political (way more lobbyists on Capitol Hill) and indeed at NASA for a long time, yet managed to send their vehicle unmanned to the ISS. Using a non reuseable launch vehicle and more expensive generally than Space X.

As for the other, well big oil has long been subsidized directly and by other means, even to the point of wars, in any case, electric vehicles are the future like it or not.

This however, for me is Wally Funk's day, if it is the case that Bezos is stepping back from Amazon to devote more time to Blue Origin, this flight will likely make him even more focused.

GDB wrote:

Or just wait for the other team, y'know from the Company that sucks off the government teat more than most,

True, but give that other company it's dues for helping making air travel the way it is today. You win some you lose some.

The race is not over. Recall what happened to the model 247? Being first can sometimes be relegated to obscurity just as easy as being last.

bt

GDB wrote:

This however, for me is Wally Funk's day, if it is the case that Bezos is stepping back from Amazon to devote more time to Blue Origin, this flight will likely make him even more focused.

Not to give Bezos much credit, but the Wally Funk point and the “crew” selection by BO was definitely a much better PR move then Virgin. I’m glad she finally got her opportunity to fly. Even the rest of them were good choices. If you founded your own company to go to space, who wouldn’t want to bring their own sibling along to share that moment? The Dutch kid…well, his family paid so he got to go, but at least his age makes him a little more noteworthy.

I wonder if Musk is getting jealous and wants to take a ride into orbit…

FGITD wrote:

GDB wrote:

This however, for me is Wally Funk's day, if it is the case that Bezos is stepping back from Amazon to devote more time to Blue Origin, this flight will likely make him even more focused.

Not to give Bezos much credit, but the Wally Funk point and the “crew” selection by BO was definitely a much better PR move then Virgin. I’m glad she finally got her opportunity to fly. Even the rest of them were good choices. If you founded your own company to go to space, who wouldn’t want to bring their own sibling along to share that moment? The Dutch kid…well, his family paid so he got to go, but at least his age makes him a little more noteworthy.

I wonder if Musk is getting jealous and wants to take a ride into orbit…

Yes hard to like Bezos though for me, the real problem are governments that enable his less savory business practices.
I think since Blue Origin are so quiet, or seem to be, on their progress is perhaps Musk's almost minute by minute coverage of Space X. Which we've become used to.
He might go to orbit on a similar flight to the upcoming Dragon one.

I've read comments elsewhere of people bashing Bezos for spending gobs of money on space flight suggesting that the world has big problems and he should have donated it to worthy causes and invested it in solutions to things like climate change, infrastructure, the homeless crisis etc. Well, the dude made his money by coming up with a unique idea when it was by no means a sure thing that he'd succeed. He can do whatever the heck he wants with the bucks he's accrued as a result IMO. You want to give your money to save the world? Well no one's stopping you. Just come up with the "next big thing," become a billionaire and do what you like with the money.
Off my soap box now - congrats to the Blue Origin team for a successful mission today