The silver screen heads to space

The world of Hollywood has left Earth and ventured to space.

William Shatner, best known for playing Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek, took a ride on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket Oct. 13.

The flight, designated NS-18, launched from West Texas and reached an altitude of about 66.5 miles (107 kilometers). It thus passed the Kármán line, the commonly recognized boundary of space, which is 62 miles (100 km) high. At 90, Shatner became the oldest person to have flown to space.

The NS-18 crew included Blue Origin vice president of mission and flight operations Audrey Powers; Chris Boshuizen, co-founder of satellite firm Planet Labs; and Glen de Vries, a medical software mogul. De Vries died in a small plane crash Nov. 11.

The launch came as Blue Origin faces increased scrutiny of its working culture. On Oct. 11, The Washington Post reported allegations from former employees regarding the company’s culture and leadership, including sexism. An executive told the Post the company takes “all claims seriously” and does not tolerate discrimination or harassment.

While Shatner launched to space, a Russian film crew was also making history. Actor Yulia Peresild and director

Klim Shipenko spent time on the International Space Station (ISS), filming for the movie The Challenge. The film is about a surgeon who rushes to space to save a cosmonaut who needs an operation.

The film crew remained on the ISS for 12 days after blasting off Oct. 5. Cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy joined them on their return back to Earth.

BLUE ORIGIN; NASA/JSC TO OLDLY GO. At left, William Shatner poses with his fellow NS-18 crew (left to right: Chris Boshuizen, William Shatner, Audrey Powers, and Glen de Vries). Above are the Soyuz MS-19 crew members (from left: Yulia Peresild, Anton Shkaplerov, and Klim Shipenko).