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He and his three fellow passengers are set to make history on blue origin’s. First passenger flight to space tomorrow morning, we’re going to hear from them in a moment michael had a chance to sit down with them, but first gio benitez is near the launch site there in texas with more good morning, geo hey robin good morning to you from Van horn, texas, you can just feel the excitement here and take a look at this, because signs like these are all over the place here. This small town of van horn is about to become world famous. This morning, blue origin is officially cleared for liftoff, with just over 24 hours to launch new shepard is ready to fly the crew of four seeing the new shepherd for the first time. Over the weekend, bezos will be accompanied by his brother mark and 82 year old wally funk who started this journey over 60 years ago as part of the mercury 13 women in space program, but never got her chance to fly i’m going to be in that window. Now she will become the oldest person in space while 18 year old, oliver damon will become the youngest oliver and the first paying civilian aboard a commercial spacecraft. The 11 minute flight will send the passengers 62 miles above the surface of the earth that’s a little farther than branson’s 53 miles overnight. I went into the training, capsule bezos and the crew are using to prepare for the flight.

Five four three two one can hear the rum quality feel the rumble this is. This is the simulator and when we do the training with the astronauts, we have full volume full vibration. Here you are you’re, just passing almost or getting up there, climbing to about 500 miles per hour. You also see the g’s have also started to increase, and this is really what it feels like. This is what it feels like, while virgin galactic spaceship last week, launched after being dropped from a mothership relationship. The blue origin flight will look more like a traditional launch, a rocket launching upright with a capsule. Above it, the launch crew is ready. The vehicle is ready. The crew is ready, and when i was inside that training capsule, i saw what they call the escape motor right in the middle and basically, what that means. According to blue origin, if anything were to go wrong with that rocket during launch that escape motor would kick right in and it would separate the capsule from the rocket to keep the passengers safe. Michael, we will all be watching this launch very very closely. Thank you. Geo when joining us now is blue origin, founder jeff bezos, along with his fellow passengers, mark bezos, wally funk and oliver damon everyone. Thank you for joining us this morning. Here on gma. We really appreciate it and jeff. I want to start with you. This has been a something you’ve been dreaming of, since you were five years old when you saw the moon landing.

So what is it like now to know that this dream is finally coming true? Well, michael it’s, it’s so exciting. You know tomorrow morning. This crew is going to go to space, but i i don’t know what it’s going to mean. For me. Everybody who’s been to space, says it changes them in some way and i’m just really excited to figure out how it’s going to change me. People say they see the thin limb of the earth’s atmosphere. It teaches them how fragile and precious the planet is. Are there no boundaries? I don’t know what it’s going to do, but i’m excited to find out. We know this is the first human flight for blue origin. The capsule it’s entirely automated no test pilots. So does it? Does it make you a little nervous i’m, not nervous, you know, we’ve had 15 successful flights and we’re. You know i’m excited but i’m, not nervous, and we say you don’t have an automated pilot, but you do have a trained astronaut on board. Wally you trained to go to space in the 60s with the mercury 13 space program, but the women’s program was canceled. So what does it mean for you to be given this opportunity 60 years later? Well, i had a lot of training in those weeks before or in 1960, not only in america, but i went to russia and i trained with the cosmonauts and not until about two or three weeks after my training did.

I was told that i did better than the men by the way yeah we’ve been training with we’ve, been training with wally here in west texas, and i can tell you she’s still doing better than the men she can outrun all of us she’s 82 years old And she can outrun all of us. I would go with wally any day of the week. I mean i’m excited and pumped up for that and oliver oliver, you are blue origin, first, paying customer, but more than that you’re 18 years old. So what is it like? Knowing that you’ll become the youngest person ever in space, and what are you looking forward to the most yeah, i don’t think i’ve realized yet like how special it is to become the youngest person ever and it’s such an opportunity for me to do that, and also To be an example, for other kids like that, it is able now and blue origin has made the opportunity there for more and more people to go and it’s, so amazing for me to go, and i still can’t believe it no well at 18, i was still Trying to figure out how to tie i’m, trying to figure out how to tie my shoes at 18., so you’re, going to space. My friend and mark mark mark big question for you. What was it like when your brother came to you and said i want you to go to space with me.

Did you think that was a wild idea, or was this a dream that you both shared? Well, i you know jeff and i have gone on a lot of adventures together and uh. You know he’s he’s, my best friend and uh. When he came to me and said you know, let’s go on this one. I you know i i was just uh. You know over the moon, so to speak. It was uh, uh remarkable, so excited to to be there to support him to represent my mom and dad and our sister christina uh, in supporting him and – and you know, watching this lifelong dream come true. It’S, just an absolute thrill, michael mark has been a part of the blue origin program from the very beginning, he’s been a huge contributor. All along he’s actually been a huge contributor. In my whole life he’s, my best friend i couldn’t have a better person to go to space with. I tell you what i love hearing that and jeff. I know your schedule for you guys all scheduled for liftoff in about 25 hours. Tomorrow is the 52nd anniversary of the moon landing. So can you put in the context for us what what this signals for the future of space exploration and travel? Well, what we’re hoping to do is to build the road to space so that future generations – maybe oliver you know he’s an 18 year old young guy and maybe oliver and people of his generation – will be able to do amazing things in space.

If we have practice and get good at reusable vehicles, so the big thing that blue origin is doing is making these vehicles reusable and in an operable way, so they can be found over and over and over more like commercial airliners. If we can get to that stage, then the things that the next generations will figure out how to what to do in space, how to benefit earth with all those things they can do in space that’ll, be amazing to see so that’s the real goal. That would absolutely be amazing, and i got to say my heart is racing because i am so excited for all of you. Jeff mark wally. Oliver thank you for joining us this morning and we look forward to seeing you when you get back. Thank you michael. Thank you very much and you at home you can watch the liftoff live with us. It’S blue origin civilians in space tomorrow morning, right here on abc well, hey there gma fans robin roberts. Here thanks for checking out our youtube channel lots of great stuff here. So go on click. The subscribe button right over right over here to get more of awesome videos and content from gma every day anytime. We thank you for watching and we’ll.

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