SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 18: Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos presents the company's first smartphone, the Fire Phone, on June 18, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. The much-anticipated device is available for pre-order today and is available exclusively with AT&T service. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
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In a final letter, John Glenn praises Jeff Bezos for his vision of space travel for all humanity
December 10, 2016
Every year, the Smithsonian Magazine in Washington, D.C., holds its American Ingenuity Awards banquet. This year's event was held just hours after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth and four-term senator from Ohio, departed this Earth for the final time.
As a result, the letter that former astronaut Mae Jemison read aloud to the gala attendees, written just two weeks prior by the late Glenn, held even more meaning for those being honored that night. Especially Jeff Bezos, well-known as founder of Amazon.com, but less well-known as founder of civilian space flight organization Blue Origin.
According to Ars Technica, Glenn praised Bezos for his vision of space flight that includes all of humanity, not just highly-trained engineers and astronauts:
"You understood that to realize that vision, we would have to be able to get to space more often and more inexpensively. So you and your Blue Origin team began designing rockets that can be reused over and over again," Glenn wrote.
There has been a debate in rocketry over NASA's decision to build "large, expendable, and costly rockets of the Apollo era with its Space Launch System design" and the emergence of Bezos and fellow space pioneer Elon Musk of SpaceX to "develop much lower cost, reusable launch systems that can get more people and material into orbit."
Glenn also wrote that he was "deeply touched" that Bezos had named his orbital rocket the "New Glenn" after him"
"As the original Glenn, I can tell you I see the day coming when people will board spacecraft the same way millions of us now board jetliners," Glenn wrote. "When that happens, it will be largely because of your epic achievements this year."
The full text of the letter can be read here.
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