3, 2, 1. On the finish of the countdown, the home windows flashed orange. Then comes a deafening sound. The rocket appears sluggish at first. Nevertheless it would not take lengthy for it to speed up, inflicting you to really feel a strain in your chest that forestalls you from transferring. After which, up there, the engines shut down and earlier than you realize it, you are again on Earth.
10 minutes. Final Saturday (4), some of the memorable moments within the lifetime of 28-year-old engineer Victor Correa Hespanha, the second Brazilian to fly into house and the primary to take part in World Warfare II, has lasted this lengthy. house tourism.
Victor describes billionaire Jeff Bezos’ feeling of becoming a member of the fifth manned mission of the American firm Blue Origin as “indescribable”. this Tremendous, gave Particulars concerning the expertise: the lottery, the coaching and, in fact, the flight itself that bought him on the job. Fee:
how was he chosen

Every little thing is in Victor’s day on April 25. NFT (English abbreviation for “Non-Fungible token”) with Crypto House Company (CSA) for R$4,000. The corporate would sponsor certainly one of six seats in Blue Origin’s spacecraft New Shepard capsule, drawing a draw amongst its patrons.
“It was CSA’s first main motion and there was little or no participation. I competed with about 200 folks”, explains the Belo Horizonte (MG) resident, so much more centered on getting the NFT than a doable victory within the lottery.
The draw was held 5 days later and the CSA was introduced on Twitter. On account of company secrecy, the corporate solely launched the code similar to the winner – the one which Victor learn (many occasions) by checking each letter and quantity. It is arduous to consider, however he was truly going to go to house.
“After that, my life turned the wrong way up.” He began collaborating in interviews and producing content material. Instagram and put together for the duty. “Final Monday, I used to be working within the workplace. By Thursday, I used to be already there. Interview with Fatima BernardesFrom Globo.”
The NS-21 mission was scheduled for Might 20, however Blue Origin was having issues with the rocket’s backup methods. Subsequently, on Victor’s first journey to the USA, there have been solely job description duties – conferences with the crew, firm workers and picture shoots.
coaching days
The mission was postponed to June, and Victor returned to the nation two days earlier than the flight to do the mandatory coaching. He was accompanied by 5 others who had been chosen to occupy the ship (cf. On this respect offers Tremendous Who’re they).
“First, we discovered the procedures that needed to be completed through the mission and iterated extensively till it turned automated for us.” Such procedures referred, for instance, to communication between the crew within the capsule and the Blue Origin management tower.
The flights operated by the American firm are autonomous driving – that’s, spacecraft passengers do not need to fret about piloting. All Victor and his buddies needed to do was to examine the panels contained in the capsule in addition to affirm that all the pieces was high quality with the audio system and microphones – for instance, they had been advised when to placed on or take off their seat belts.
Through the coaching, the crew additionally explored doable in-flight emergency eventualities and what to do in every of them. “Studying the launch mode [dos assentos] and concerning the exhaust valves”, explains Victor. “They go the coaching as if all the pieces could be very odd, which supplies lots of safety.”
Flight
There have been three phases – takeoff, reaching most altitude, and returning to Earth. Every took about three minutes.
After the crew entered the New Shepard capsule, they waited about half-hour till takeoff and watched the countdown on a display screen. Three, two, one: the passengers see an orange mild flash via the home windows and start to listen to a really loud noise.
“The rocket appears slightly sluggish at first, then it accelerates. Then you definately begin to really feel strain in your chest and it turns into tough so that you can transfer,” explains the engineer. After some time, the engines shut down, reaching nearly the best level of the parabola, which is the ship’s orbit.
The capsule is separate from the rocket; the crew is allowed to loosen their seat belts. “Right here comes essentially the most unimaginable feeling [de microgravidade]. It is such as you got here out of your individual physique. Your solely reference is your seat and the Earth there – aside from that you do not know the place ‘up’ is and the place ‘down’ is.”
Through the physician’s go to to house, the crew glided via the cabin taking photographs, movies and… somersaults. Time to maneuver on to the seats and head again. “The descent can be very quick, the spacecraft reaches about 2,000 kilometers per hour. You are feeling like you might be in a kind of curler coaster lifts. [brinquedos que despencam a dezenas de metros, em queda livre]”
Close to the Earth’s floor, the capsule opens a sequence of parachutes (picture beneath) after which releases a form of air jet to stabilize it earlier than touchdown – this takes place within the desert, a number of kilometers from the Blue Origin launch pad. Texas.

And now?
A video of the duty accessible on-line, however Blue Origin plans to launch extra materials that showcases the vacationer expertise. In the meantime, Victor plans to share extra concerning the journey. in your Instagram account.
He says he has no earlier expertise in producing content material for the Web and that the duty is difficult. “I do not wish to be an influencer. However I wish to share my story and take part in initiatives that assist develop house tourism in Brazil.”
For him, being the second Brazilian in house was “a terrific privilege” and really symbolic. “I believe my expertise offers me hope that different folks will journey to house within the close to future.”
Share this text by: