JEFF BEZOS: Tuesday’s Billionaire Rocket Man

Around this time tomorrow, Jeff Bezos and three other passengers aboard the pilotless Blue Origin will rocket to the edge of space.

The event will be live-streamed. Lift off is schedule for 9 O’clock eastern, if all goes according to plan. Bezos Instagrammed on Friday (quote) “The four of us have just arrived in West Texas today. Can’t wait for Tuesday! #GradatimFerociter”

Accompanying Bezos will be his brother Mark Bezos, 82-year-old aviator Wally Funk, and 18-year-old Dutch student Oliver Daemen, who replaces the anonymous winner of an auction who bid $28 million and discovered they had a scheduling conflict.

Space flight is approximately 10,000-times more dangerous than flying on a commercial plane. Blue Origin has several safety features in case of in-flight failures. The capsule is programmed to detach in case of emergencies and parachute safely back to earth. A source said (quote) “The capsule is the safest spaceflight system. If a system fails, you have a backup system. And, in most cases, a backup to the backup system.” (Business Insider)