astronaut

Who’s an astronaut? FAA wades into a murky issue for spacefliers

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Jeff Bezos gets pinned

Jeff Bezos receives a bespoke Blue Origin astronaut lapel pin from former NASA astronaut Jeff Ashby, who now serves as Blue Origin mission control director. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) Hundreds of deep pocket tourists are likely to embark on suborbital space travel as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space company and Virgin Galactic, founded by … Read more

Can Richard Branson really call himself an astronaut after Sunday’s Virgin Galactic flight?

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Can Richard Branson really call himself an astronaut after Sunday's Virgin Galactic flight?

On May 5, 1961, Commander Alan Shepard steered his Mercury Freedom 7 spacecraft 116 miles above the surface of the planet to become the first American to enter Earth orbit. Last Sunday, Sir Richard Branson was escorted aboard the SpaceShipTwo Unity by Virgin Galactic to an altitude of 80 kilometers. Somehow these men are both … Read more