Winter Park couple finally makes it to space on Blue Origin flight

The spacebound dreams of Central Florida power couple Marc and Sharon Hagle were finally realized Thursday morning.

The two joined four others for the fourth passenger flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard space tourism rocket from the company’s West Texas facility. The group got up in the early morning hours, got the go-for-launch and proceeded to the rocket tower, lifting off just before 10 a.m. EDT.

The 10-minute, 4-second flight ended with the parachute-assisted landing of the capsule in the desert scrub not far from the launch pad, married with a chorus of whoops heard over the broadcast.

Marc Hagle is president and CEO of Maitland-based commercial property company Tricor International Corp., and Sharon Hagle is founder of local nonprofit SpaceKids Global.

The two were the last to step out of the capsule upon landing with Sharon giving a fist pump, and then kissing Marc, who called her “Honey Bunny.” They gathered with family members for a group hug immediately after with Sharon saying, “I want you to do it next.”

The duo took time out while weightless in space to embrace as well before staring out at the curvature of the Earth. After returning, Marc Hagle marveled at the experience saying it gave him “a lifetime change of expression.”

“You know, when the engines ignited, my energy level just exploded,” he said. “Then when you get to outer space, and you start seeing the blue marble as everybody describes it in the black of space, there’s no way of describing it.”

“It was great having a partner with you,” his wife added.

“Yes indeedy,” he replied.

The couple live in Winter Park and have a philanthropic hand in several Orlando-area ventures, including the Orlando Philharmonic, Orlando Ballet, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Nemours Hospital, the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, Fallen Officers College Education Fund at Central Florida Foundation and the American Heart Association.

Sharon’s role with SpaceKids Global looks to inspire young children into science, technology, engineering, art and math careers.

“I think we’ve been very fortunate to be able to take this flight,” she said. “But the real plus of this is to come back and share this with the kids, with the next generation of future astronauts and get them inspired.”

During a astronaut pin ceremony after landing, Blue Origin Vice President of New Shepard operations Audrey Powers, who flew on a previous flight of the rocket, praised Sharon Hagle for her efforts.

“Sharon, you have inspired so many children and you’ve done so much work to inspire our next generation of space explorers,” Powers said as Sharon teared up. “Thank you very much for all the work you do with our next generation and congratulations. You deserve to cry a little bit.”

Powers then welcomed “fellow Boilermaker” Marc Hagle, who proudly claimed he had just become “No. 29 from Purdue,” joining the likes of NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong, Gus Grissom and Eugene Cernan as alumni who have gone to space.

While the trip took place in Texas, the CEO of Space Florida Frank DiBello who was there for the flight, took the opportunity to stump for the state pointed out the Hagles’ contribution to Florida’s list of firsts.

“Sharon and Marc Hagle will further that proud heritage as they proudly represent our state as the first married couple on a commercial spaceflight,” he said. “More will follow, but first is first.”

Both now 73, the couple have been looking to go to space for more than a decade, having also reserved a flight with Virgin Galactic. This flight marks a celebration of their 26th wedding anniversary.

“I think it was awesome,” Sharon Hagle said. “This is the best anniversary present I’ve ever had.”

The multimillionaire duo were joined by one of Blue Origin’s original employees and architect of the New Shepard capsule, Gary Lai.

The other three flying were Marty Allen, CEO of Party America; Jim Kitchen, a teacher and world explorer who has visited all 193 countries recognized by the United Nations; and George Nield, the former associate administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Transportation and current president of Commercial Space Technologies LLC.

Others who have made it to space on the three previous flights include Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, Star Trek star William Shatner, NFL Hall of Famer and “Good Morning America” anchor Michael Strahan, and Laura Shepard Churchley, daughter of Alan Shepard, the first American in space for whom the rocket is named.

The New Shepard made its 20th flight overall, flying past the Karman line — about 62 miles high — the internationally recognized altitude for someone having gone into space.

The crew capsule reached an apogee of nearly 66 miles reaching a maximum velocity of 2,236 mph.

The short flight allowed the crew to unstrap and experience a few minutes of weightlessness while seeing the curvature of the Earth in the black of space. The New Shepard’s rocket stage made a return landing in the same way SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stages do. The capsule with its passengers lands just a few miles from where it took off in the West Texas desert.

They group of six, who dubbed themselves “The Roaring 20s” become the 15th to 20th passengers to fly to space with Blue Origin. Company officials announced that they’re targeting another six flights in 2022, which could carry another 36 people to space.

Prices for a ride on the New Shepard flights have not been revealed by the company.

The space tourism endeavor is the first part of the company’s plans. The next step is continued development of its heavy-lift New Glenn rocket that will eventually lift off from a launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

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from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/ELUH7Qs