Captain Kirk has travelled into space – this time for real.
William Shatner, at age 90, became the oldest person go into orbit as he blasted off on Jeff Bezos’ New Shepard NS-18 rocket alongside Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s Vice President of Mission and Flight Operation, and crew members Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries on Wednesday from the company’s Launch Site One in Van Horn, Texas.
The Star Trek actor was overcome with emotion when he landed back on earth.
Speaking to Jeff, he said: “I’m so filled with emotion about what just happened.
“It’s extraordinary... I hope I can maintain what I feel now.
“It’s much larger than me and life.
“What you have given me is the most profound experience I can imagine.
“It hasn’t got anything to do with the little green men and the blue orb.
“It has to do with the enormity and the suddenness of life and death.”
The crew made it up to an altitude of around 105km on the suborbital flight, and felt weightlessness.
But just a matter of minutes later, they began their descent and their capsule headed back down to Earth thanks to three parachutes.
The crew touched down in the desert at a speed of around 25km/h.
It was later confirmed the astronauts were all OK after the flight, and a recovery team was sent in to get them out of the capsule.
Jeff opened the hatch first so they could disembark and the billionaire shouted: “Welcome to Earth!”