Taking a trip to space and launching a new initiative are all in a day’s work for billionaire Jeff Bezos. On Tuesday morning, the Amazon founder took his first trip to space on his company Blue Origin’s rocket ship. It launched from Van Horn, Texas.
Bezos and his crew of three other passengers traveled more than 60 miles above Earth. They floated in space for three minutes enjoying panoramic views of the planet Earth and outer space.
In a post-flight interview, Bezos remarked that he was in awe at the fragility of our planet. “We’re these tiny little things in the planet. The atmosphere is so big, but when you get up above it, what you see is it’s actually incredibly thin, it’s this tiny little fragile thing. And as we move about the planet, we’re damaging it.”
Shortly after his historic flight, Bezos also launched a new philanthropic initiative, called the Courage and Civility Award, which honors leaders who exemplify those traits.
The first recipients of the award were CNN political contributor Van Jones and chef Jose Andres, who both received $100 million to donate to the charities and non-profits of their choice.
