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So named to honor Alan Shepard, the US's first astronaut.
Blue Origin is owned by Amazon's Jeff Bezos and is one of the more interesting NewSpace companies. Their first spacecraft, New Shepard, is like Virgin's SS2, a suborbital unit, but Blue Origin is expected to go orbital down the road. A very short road.
3 years ago they flew an odd, cone like testbed that now makes sense: it was the 2nd stage - a crew/cargo vessel made for not only joy rides but longer microgravity flights for researchers.
This is becoming known as "Research & Education" and would open up microgravity research to not only universities and small countries but NASA is also interested. A plus for them would also be enhanced astronaut training.
Operationally New Shepard is very much like Boeing's DC-X Delta Clipper (YouTube video) of the mid 90's, which makes sense since Bezos hired many of those who developed Delta Clipper.
Yes, both are VTOL rockets like those in 50's TV space programs and movies. Yes, those crazy maneuvers DC-X did were intentional. The avionics they developed for that bird are way beyond impressive. How many rockets can put themselves into a dive, maneuver, then right themselves for a vertical landing? Sheesshhh....
Of course that development was under the checkbook of Boeing, so one has to wonder what contribution they are making to Blue Origin. Might be support through their Phantom Works department.
Here is a video of a NS test flight (YouTube video). Short flight, but you can see the similarities.
Now there is updated info about what Blue Origin's been up to.
Dr. S. Alan Stern gave a talk before the USRA Division of Space Life Sciences in September and some Blue Origin stuff was included. Here's a link to the video (long, but worth it)
and here is the PDF with his slide images (Link)
from that PDF here is the latest version of New Shepard's first stage on the production floor and below is a digital rendering of the completed article. Looks like the New Shepard they flew 3 years ago (bottom) is actually a second stage crew/cargo capsule, doesn't it?
Impressive part isn't just the advanced avionics or the uber-clean hydrogen peroxide/liquid hydrogen power system but that the entire thing is re-usable. After the first stage lifts the New Shepard to altitude it flies back to the launch site and lands vertically like DC-X. After the mission is completed New Shepard does the same thing at a downrange landing site.
The top photo is about a year old and Stern says it's now pretty much completed and so should be nearing test flights. Stern estimates its height at 33 feet. If you look closely it looks like a small nose cone, or just part of the capsule, is in the background to the left. Note its similarity to the piece at the top of the New Shepard in the bottom pic.
Could also be a cone for the first stage to enhance it's fly-ability during recovery and there is an interstage (carbon composite tube) between the first stage and New Shepard to provide clearance. Using an identical profile to the cone that caps New Shepard would cut design and production costs.
Blue Origin is owned by Amazon's Jeff Bezos and is one of the more interesting NewSpace companies. Their first spacecraft, New Shepard, is like Virgin's SS2, a suborbital unit, but Blue Origin is expected to go orbital down the road. A very short road.
3 years ago they flew an odd, cone like testbed that now makes sense: it was the 2nd stage - a crew/cargo vessel made for not only joy rides but longer microgravity flights for researchers.
This is becoming known as "Research & Education" and would open up microgravity research to not only universities and small countries but NASA is also interested. A plus for them would also be enhanced astronaut training.
Operationally New Shepard is very much like Boeing's DC-X Delta Clipper (YouTube video) of the mid 90's, which makes sense since Bezos hired many of those who developed Delta Clipper.
Yes, both are VTOL rockets like those in 50's TV space programs and movies. Yes, those crazy maneuvers DC-X did were intentional. The avionics they developed for that bird are way beyond impressive. How many rockets can put themselves into a dive, maneuver, then right themselves for a vertical landing? Sheesshhh....
Of course that development was under the checkbook of Boeing, so one has to wonder what contribution they are making to Blue Origin. Might be support through their Phantom Works department.
Here is a video of a NS test flight (YouTube video). Short flight, but you can see the similarities.
Now there is updated info about what Blue Origin's been up to.
Dr. S. Alan Stern gave a talk before the USRA Division of Space Life Sciences in September and some Blue Origin stuff was included. Here's a link to the video (long, but worth it)
and here is the PDF with his slide images (Link)
from that PDF here is the latest version of New Shepard's first stage on the production floor and below is a digital rendering of the completed article. Looks like the New Shepard they flew 3 years ago (bottom) is actually a second stage crew/cargo capsule, doesn't it?
Impressive part isn't just the advanced avionics or the uber-clean hydrogen peroxide/liquid hydrogen power system but that the entire thing is re-usable. After the first stage lifts the New Shepard to altitude it flies back to the launch site and lands vertically like DC-X. After the mission is completed New Shepard does the same thing at a downrange landing site.
The top photo is about a year old and Stern says it's now pretty much completed and so should be nearing test flights. Stern estimates its height at 33 feet. If you look closely it looks like a small nose cone, or just part of the capsule, is in the background to the left. Note its similarity to the piece at the top of the New Shepard in the bottom pic.
Could also be a cone for the first stage to enhance it's fly-ability during recovery and there is an interstage (carbon composite tube) between the first stage and New Shepard to provide clearance. Using an identical profile to the cone that caps New Shepard would cut design and production costs.
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