Blue Origin to Bring Its Historic New Shepard Rocket and Crew Capsule to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh announces another “Only in Oshkosh” first as it welcomes commercial space company Blue Origin and its historic New Shepard rocket and astronaut crew capsule the week of July 24-30. The exhibit will be one of the main attractions on Boeing Plaza during the Experimental Aircraft Association’s 65th annual fly-in convention at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, WI.
“EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has always showcased innovation, imagination and achievement in flight, which makes Blue Origin’s presence at Oshkosh an excellent fit,” says Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and chairman. “As we salute the accomplishments of the Apollo program this year at AirVenture, it is also fitting that we welcome an organization that is developing the next step in the future of manned spaceflight.”
On Nov. 23, 2015, New Shepard became the first rocket to ascend above the Karman line and successfully return to Earth for a vertical landing. The same booster made four subsequent flights in 2016—on Jan. 22, April 2, June 19 and Oct. 5—successfully demonstrating the reuse of a rocket for the first time. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh attendees will get an up-close look at the historic rocket.
In addition, Blue Origin’s exhibit will feature a 1:1 mockup of New Shepard’s astronaut crew capsule, which has seating for six people. AirVenture guests will be able to climb inside, recline in flight-ready seats and experience a simulated flight to space created with real mission footage from New Shepard’s on-board cameras. The crew capsule features the largest windows in spacecraft history, which take up more than one-third of the capsule’s surface area, offering every astronaut stellar views during flight.
“We are very excited to come to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017 and showcase our reusable New Shepard rocket and crew capsule so everyone can experience what it’s like to be an astronaut,” says Rob Meyerson, president of Blue Origin. “We hope to inspire the explorers of tomorrow, the ones who will help us achieve Blue Origin’s goal of millions of people living and working in space.”
In honor of EAA’s Space Day on July 28, Blue Origin will give away branded merchandise to the first 1,000 visitors to the exhibit on Boeing Plaza, beginning at 12:30 p.m.