The daughter of US astronaut Alan Shepard, Laura Shepard Churchley, flew to the edge of space aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin flight on Saturday.

The flight lasted less than eleven minutes as the Blue Origin capsule blasted off from Texas. Alan Shepard was the first American to undertake the space flight in 1961.

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And, capsule touchdown! Welcome back to Earth, crew of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NS19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NS19</a>. Laura, Michael, Evan, Dylan, Cameron, and Lane.
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) <a href="https://twitter.com/blueorigin/status/1469686394566160390?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Laura Shepard Churchley, 74, along with former American football player Michael Strahan, 50, was also part of the guest crew including space industry executive Dylan Taylor, investor Evan Dick and parent-child pair of Lane Bess and Cameron Bess, 23, from Bess ventures.

Taylor, Evan Dick and the Bess family have paid an undisclosed amount for the space voyage.

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We dedicate the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NS19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NS19</a> flight to the memory of Glen de Vries. His passion and dedication will not be forgotten. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AdAstra?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AdAstra</a> Glen. 
<a href="https://t.co/feieiUz3tz">https://t.co/feieiUz3tz</a>
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) <a href="https://twitter.com/blueorigin/status/1469657930437910532?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Churchley undertook the journey&nbsp;aboard the "New Shepard" which is named after her famous father. Alan Shepard had also walked on the Moon during the famous Apollo 14 mission.

In July Jeff Bezos along with his brother Mark Bezos, Wally Funk and&nbsp;Oliver Daeman had taken the Blue Origin flight to space.

Star Trek legend William Shatner had taken the Blue Origin flight to the edge of space in October becoming the oldest person to go to space at the age of 90.

(With inputs from Agencies)

The daughter of US astronaut Alan Shepard, Laura Shepard Churchley, flew to the edge of space aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin flight on Saturday. The flight lasted less than eleven minutes as the Blue Origin capsule blasted off from Texas.

The daughter of US astronaut Alan Shepard, Laura Shepard Churchley, flew to the edge of space aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin flight on Saturday. The flight lasted less than eleven minutes as the Blue Origin capsule blasted off from Texas. Alan Shepard was the first American to undertake the space flight in 1961. And, capsule touchdown! Welcome back to Earth, crew of #NS19. Laura, Michael, Evan, Dylan, Cameron, and Lane. — Blue Origin (@blueorigin) December 11, 2021 × Laura Shepard Churchley, 74, along with former American football player Michael Strahan, 50, was also part of the guest crew including space industry executive Dylan Taylor, investor Evan Dick and parent-child pair of Lane Bess and Cameron Bess, 23, from Bess ventures. Taylor, Evan Dick and the Bess family have paid an undisclosed amount for the space voyage. We dedicate the #NS19 flight to the memory of Glen de Vries. His passion and dedication will not be forgotten. #AdAstra Glen. https://t.co/feieiUz3tz — Blue Origin (@blueorigin) December 11, 2021 × Churchley undertook the journey aboard the "New Shepard" which is named after her famous father. Alan Shepard had also walked on the Moon during the famous Apollo 14 mission. In July Jeff Bezos along with his brother Mark Bezos, Wally Funk and Oliver Daeman had taken the Blue Origin flight to space. Star Trek legend William Shatner had taken the Blue Origin flight to the edge of space in October becoming the oldest person to go to space at the age of 90. (With inputs from Agencies)

Laura Shepard Churchley, daughter of first American astronaut takes Blue Origin flight to space

The US Federal Aviation Administration is going to stop providing commercial astronaut wings.

Blaming ''too many launchings'' behind the decision, it said “Now it’s time to offer recognition to a larger group of adventurers daring to go to space.”

The long-standing programme is going to continue till December 31 and will come to an end on January 1.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/inclusive-outer-space-first-disabled-crew-takes-flight-in-zero-gravity-435910" hreflang="en">Inclusive outer space: First disabled crew takes flight in zero gravity</a>

According to FAA’s associate administrator Wayne Monteith, “The US commercial human spaceflight industry has come a long way from conducting test flights to launching paying customers into space.”&nbsp;

Even though the largest transportation agency of the US government is getting out of the astronaut designation business entirely, it will still provide stars to NASA astronauts.

The news comes just before Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos plans a liftoff with former NFL player and TV celebrity Michael Strahan under his human spaceflight programme.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/who-is-winning-space-tourism-race-between-bezos-branson-and-musk-396420" hreflang="en">Who is winning space tourism race between Bezos, Branson and Musk?</a>

Interestingly, the FAA is investigating allegations made against the company made by former employees who had raised safety concerns.

Alexandra Abrams, former head of Blue Origin Employee Communications, and 20 other unnamed Blue Origin employees and former employees, said in an essay they had "seen a pattern of decision-making that often prioritizes execution speed and cost reduction over the appropriate resourcing to ensure quality."

The essay said a 2018 team at Blue Origin "documented more than 1,000 problem reports related to the engines that power Blue Origin’s rockets, which had never been addressed."

In response, Blue Origin said it stood "by our safety record and believe that New Shepard is the safest space vehicle ever designed or built."

(With inputs from agencies)

The US Federal Aviation Administration is going to stop providing commercial astronaut wings. Blaming ''too many launchings'' behind the decision, it said “Now it’s time to offer recognition to a larger group of adventurers daring to go to space.

The US Federal Aviation Administration is going to stop providing commercial astronaut wings. Blaming ''too many launchings'' behind the decision, it said “Now it’s time to offer recognition to a larger group of adventurers daring to go to space.” The long-standing programme is going to continue till December 31 and will come to an end on January 1. Also read | Inclusive outer space: First disabled crew takes flight in zero gravity According to FAA’s associate administrator Wayne Monteith, “The US commercial human spaceflight industry has come a long way from conducting test flights to launching paying customers into space.” Even though the largest transportation agency of the US government is getting out of the astronaut designation business entirely, it will still provide stars to NASA astronauts. The news comes just before Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos plans a liftoff with former NFL player and TV celebrity Michael Strahan under his human spaceflight programme. Also see | Who is winning space tourism race between Bezos, Branson and Musk? Interestingly, the FAA is investigating allegations made against the company made by former employees who had raised safety concerns. Alexandra Abrams, former head of Blue Origin Employee Communications, and 20 other unnamed Blue Origin employees and former employees, said in an essay they had "seen a pattern of decision-making that often prioritizes execution speed and cost reduction over the appropriate resourcing to ensure quality." The essay said a 2018 team at Blue Origin "documented more than 1,000 problem reports related to the engines that power Blue Origin’s rockets, which had never been addressed." In response, Blue Origin said it stood "by our safety record and believe that New Shepard is the safest space vehicle ever designed or built." (With inputs from agencies)

'Too many launchings': Federal Aviation Administration to stop providing commercial astronaut wings

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Laura Shepard Churchley, daughter of first American astronaut takes Blue Origin flight to space

'Too many launchings': Federal Aviation Administration to stop providing commercial astronaut wings