UNC professor’s trip to space delayed due to weather, but the astronauts are ready
Jim Kitchen, a UNC-Chapel Hill business professor and entrepreneur, will have to wait at least another two days to add ”astronaut” to his resume with his trip to space as part of the crew of Blue Origin’s latest New Shepard mission delayed again.
The operations team moved the launch to Thursday, March 31 due to forecasted high winds during launch and recovery operations. The team has completed the “Flight Readiness Review,” the astronauts are finishing their training and the vehicle is ready to fly once the weather improves.
Kitchen, 57, and the other five passengers will buckle themselves into the rocket ship, lift off from a launch site in the west Texas desert and travel about 60 miles above the earth. Luckily, they won’t be responsible for piloting the roughly 10-minute spaceflight because it’s an autonomous vehicle. (The trip no longer includes “Saturday Night Live” comedian Pete Davidson as a passenger.)
“At 2,300 mph with the g-forces, I think that will be exhilarating enough,” Kitchen said. “I don’t need them to be relying on me to push buttons.”
So how did this UNC-CH professor get this opportunity to achieve his lifelong dream without having decades of experience training with NASA?
Kitchen filled out an application with Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ space travel company, and booked his ticket. He’s not allowed to disclose how much it cost, but said it will be “worth every penny.”
He also had to clear it with his wife, Susan. But he took care of that 25 years ago in a prenuptial agreement she signed before their wedding day, agreeing to support him if he ever got the chance to go to space.
At the time, she laughed and kind of threw her hands up saying, “Yeah, as if that will ever happen,” Kitchen said.
It’s happening.
Now that it’s become a reality, Susan Kitchen will be watching the launch with their kids and other crew members’ families and friends a couple of miles away from the launch site.
Here’s what else you need to know about Kitchen and his trip to outer space.
How are the astronauts preparing?
Each crew member went through four days of intensive training at the launch facility, Kitchen explained. They stayed in the “astronaut village” with their spouses leading up to the big day.
In a highly secure facility, they were introduced to the rocket, launch vehicle and the capsule, where they’ll be seated for the space flight.
While onboard, they’ll travel more than three times the speed of sound to pass the Kármán Line, which is the official international border line between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. They’ll float weightless for several minutes and gaze out at Earth from a unique vantage point before “descending gently under parachutes,” according to Blue Origin.
The crew learned safety protocols, what different kinds of noises mean and what to expect from g-forces on the way up and down. They also went through multiple simulations, walking through the entire launch sequence so they know exactly what to do.
By the time they launch, the process will feel familiar, but “this time it’s for real,” Kitchen said.
On Tuesday morning, before the launch, the crew and their friends and families will meet up for a big send-off party and then the soon-to-be astronauts will head to the launch site.
This mission is the 20th spaceflight for the New Shepard program and the fourth to include human passengers.
Having traveled to dozens of countries on the state department’s “do not travel” list, Kitchen said he has a “certain amount of tolerance for adventure and this is just a component of that.”
What can you bring on the spaceflight?
Crew members can bring 3 pounds of stuff with them — whatever they can fit into a small bag that’s about 18 inches long and 6 inches wide, Kitchen said.
Kitchen is bringing a photo of his family and a mix of sentimental and novelty items.
▪ Sunflower seeds: They’re a metaphor, not a snack. When sunflowers grow, they produce as many as 1,000 seeds, which can then grow into more sunflowers. And the cycle continues.
Kitchen plans to give these space-flown seeds out to people when he returns to “plant the seed that anything is possible.” He hopes they will inspire people to push through boundaries and remind them that this dream is still alive, he said.
▪ Passports and flags: Kitchen is bringing 10 passports that have stamps from his travels to all 193 countries. This trip will mark his 194th stamp, he said. He’ll have a special flag to represent that feat.
During the flight, Kitchen hopes to be able to open one of the passports to the page with his Ukraine stamps to pay homage to the Ukrainian people who are under attack by Russia. He’s also bringing small Ukrainian flags to show support.
▪ Stickers: Kitchen printed stickers to give to past and future students. One says “This sticker flew in space” and another one says “My professor went to space and all I got was this lousy sticker.”
▪ Space brochure: Kitchen started a marketing company as an undergraduate student at UNC-CH in 1985 promoting space trips. It was an ambitious venture that never took off, but he kept a brochure for the company as a memento of inspiration that one day he’d travel to space.
He’s bringing a copy of the front of that brochure with him for sentimental value and physical reminder that he’s fulfilling a lifelong dream.
▪ Postcards: Each astronaut will also carry a postcard to space on behalf of Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, which aims to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM, according to the company.
How to watch the space flight
Live launch coverage begins on BlueOrigin.com 8:20 a.m. EST. Follow Blue Origin on Twitter for more mission details.
This story was originally published March 28, 2022 at 2:58 PM with the headline "UNC professor’s trip to space delayed due to weather, but the astronauts are ready."
