origin trip

late 14c., "tread or step lightly and nimbly, skip, dance, caper," from Old French triper "jump around, dance around, strike with the feet" (12c.), from a Germanic source (compare Middle Dutch trippen "to skip, trip, hop; to stamp, trample," Low German trippeln , Frisian tripje , Dutch trappen , Old English treppan "to tread, trample"). The group is from the source of trap (n.).  Related: Tripped ; tripping .

The senses of "to stumble" (intransitive), "strike with the foot and cause to stumble" (transitive) are from mid-15c. in English. The meaning "to release" (a catch, lever, etc.) is recorded from 1897; trip-wire is attested from 1868.

The old sense of "dance, caper, move nimbly" was common in the Elizabethan dramatists ("Trip it, gipsies, trip it fine") and is preserved in the archaism trip the light fantastic (toe) for "to dance," based on a couplet from Milton:

Come and trip it, as you go,

On the light fantastic toe ; 

["L'Allegro"]

The short version, omitting toe , is attested by 1847. He has a similar phrasing in the invitation to the dance in "Comus":

Come, knit hands, and beat the ground

In a light fantastic round.

"act or action of tripping" (transitive), early 14c., from trip (v.); the sense of "a short journey or voyage" is from mid-15c.; the exact connection to the earlier sense is uncertain. The meaning "psychedelic drug experience" is attested from 1959 as a noun; the verb in this sense is from 1966, from the noun.

Entries linking to trip

"contrivance for catching unawares," late Old English træppe , treppe "snare, trap," from Proto-Germanic *trep- (source also of Middle Dutch trappe "trap, snare"), related to Germanic words for "stair, step, tread" (Middle Dutch, Middle Low German trappe , treppe , German Treppe "step, stair," English tread (v.)).

This is probably literally "that on or into which one steps," from PIE *dreb- , an extended form of a root *der- (1), base of words meaning "to run, walk, step." The English word is probably akin to Old French trape , Spanish trampa "trap, pit, snare," but the exact relationship is uncertain.

The sense of "deceitful practice, device or contrivance to betray one" is recorded from c. 1400. The meaning "U-shaped section of a drain pipe" is from 1833. Slang meaning "mouth" is from 1776. Speed trap is by 1908. Trap-door "door in a floor or ceiling" (often hidden and leading to a passageway or secret place) is attested from late 14c. ( trappe-dore ).

by 1707, in metaphysics, "the self; that which feels, acts, or thinks," from Latin ego "I" (cognate with Old English ic ; see I ); its use is implied in egoity .

They that have pleaded against Propriety , and would have all things common in this World, have forgotten that there is a Propriety , in our present Egoity , and Natural Constitution, which rendereth some accidental Propriety necessary to us (etc.) ["The Practical Works of the Late Reverend and Pious Mr. Richard Baxter," London, 1707]

Psychoanalytic (Freudian) sense is from 1894; sense of "conceit" is 1891. Ego-trip first recorded 1969, from trip (n.). Related: egoical .

In the book of Egoism it is written, Possession without obligation to the object possessed approaches felicity. [George Meredith, "The Egoist," 1879]

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Blue Origin Hasn't Announced Ticket Prices, but Most Can't Afford It

How much does it cost to fly on Blue Origin? Learn more about the company that sent 'Good Morning America' anchor Michael Strahan to space.

Mar. 13 2023, Updated 3:20 p.m. ET

Blue Origin tickets are going at a “really good price,” even as much as $28 million.

Blue origin could charge customers upward of $200,000 for the first spaceflights., how much did michael strahan pay for his blue origin flight ticket.

How much does it cost to fly on Blue Origin ? The company isn’t saying, nor is Michael Strahan , the Good Morning America anchor who blasted off on a Blue Origin rocket on Dec. 11, 2021.

In July 2021, after his own spaceflight, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos said he and his colleagues “didn’t know quite yet” when the company would publicly divulge its price for a ticket to space. “Right now we’re doing really well with private sales,” he added, reports The New York Times . But intel from 2018 may hint at Blue Origin’s current pricing strategy. Read on, future astronauts.

William Shatner smiles after his October 2021 Blue Origin spaceflight.

Presumably, not all Blue Origin tickets cost $28 million, which was the winning bid at a charity auction in June 2021. The winning bidder had to reschedule their flight, so their ticket went to Dutch teenager Oliver Daemen, whose father, a private equity executive, placed the next-highest bid .

“We think we had 7,500 people in the auction from over 150 countries,” Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith said in July 2021, reports GeekWire . “Generally, there’s really high interest. So the question really gets down to what’s the price point. Our early flights are going for a very good price. You saw the interest during the auction was quite high. We had people well into the twenties [$20 million], all very interested. Some of that was skewed, obviously, by the auction.”

Two Blue Origin employees spoke anonymously to Reuters in July 2018. One of those workers, an employee “with first-hand knowledge of the pricing plan,” said Blue Origin planned to charge customers about $200,000 to $300,000. The second employee corroborated those figures, saying the tickets would cost $200,000 at minimum.

If so, Blue Origin would be offering “spacefares,” so to speak, close to those of rival company Virgin Galactic . As Slate reports, the Richard Branson company was offering ticket reservations for $250,000 before a test crash grounded the spaceflight program in 2014. Now that the program is up and running—with Branson and others making a suborbital flight in July 2021 — analysts project that Virgin Galactic tickets will cost between $300,000 and $400,000.

Despite the speculation, it appears Blue Origin flight tickets may be based on who you are and who you know. While some have had their tickets comped by the one and only Bezos, others have paid well into the millions for a chance to experience space aboard a Blue Origin rocket. Needless to say, you better start saving!

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Blue Origin (@blueorigin)

On Good Morning America on Nov. 23, 2021, co-host Michael Strahan — a former NFL star who played for the New York Giants — announced that he would join a December 2021 Blue Origin spaceflight. He’s the latest celebrity to venture into the great beyond, following the October spaceflight of William Shatner. CNN reported that Strahan and Laura Shepard Churchley — daughter of NASA pioneer Alan Shepard and another passenger of the flight — were “honorary guests” and didn't pay for their tickets.

Strahan announced he's on the Blue Origin NS-19 crew this morning live on TV: "There you go, I'm going to space!" pic.twitter.com/PCfuEPainb — Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) November 23, 2021

“I believe that this is the way of being innovative, creative, pioneers in aviation, now space travel,” Strahan said on Nov. 23, 2021. “And it’s going to take a while, but I do believe that it will bring a lot of technological breakthroughs and also innovations to us here on Earth, and I just want to be a part of it.”

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How to Pack for an Origin Trip: A Guide

Posted by Archers Coffee on January 27, 2024

Unsure what to pack on your first-ever origin trip? 

Worry not, friends! Our experienced coffee-origin jet setters at Archers summed up 10 absolute origin trip essentials to guide you. The key criteria are utility, comfort, and of course, fun!

If you have food allergies or any dietary restrictions, you must let your travel organizers know in advance, to give enough time to meet your requirements.

What Bag to Use? 

1. Handy Luggage 

You’ll want to bring just one duffel-type, hand-carried bag that will fit everything else on this list.

A single piece is best, to nearly eliminate the risk of lost luggage, for your peace of mind. 

Duffel-type is most recommended, versus hard- or even soft-shell, for easier stowing in possibly small spaces while we’re on the go. At origin, it is sometimes unavoidable to travel by a small car among several people (each with their luggage), and a soft bag would allow more flexibility because it typically takes up less space.

What to Wear?

2. Functional Fits 

At an origin trip, we dress for the weather and the nature of our activities. 

That said, we always check the weather forecast to guide our clothing choices and bring just what the locale and the season require. We make sure to know the itinerary very well, in advance, too.

In Ethiopia, for example, the capital Addis Ababa — the jump-off point for our exploration — may be warm in the day but get very cold at night. We can expect that when we head to higher altitudes where the farms and processing facilities are, it will just get cooler. So, the best bet is to pack layers that will be easy to pile on (or shed) as the situation and your comfort calls for.

Also, our adventures at origin necessarily involve a lot of trekking through varied terrains, including hilly and muddy farms and washing stations. Because of this, the sensible footwear choice would be proper, and already worn-in, all-terrain boots paired with good hiking socks that help regulate the temperature of your feet while preventing blisters.

How to Stay Clean & At Ease?

3. Your Self-Care/Sanity Kit

Being away from the comforts of home means that while we need to tweak our usual hygiene routine, it’s wholly possible to maintain our well-being. These help the most.  

3.1 Grooming Tools, et al.

To stay clean, comfy, & sun-safe, apart from common, basic toiletries (e.g. toothbrush + toothpaste + dental floss, shampoo, body wash, antiperspirant, et al.), remember to bring anti-bug spray, lip balm and a skin moisturizer to prevent windburns from high altitudes and the cold, as well as SPF 50 sunscreen.

3.2 Personal First-Aid (should be OK’d by your doctor!)

You may want to pack a kind of ‘personal pharmacy,’ that could include loperamide (so a sensitive stomach can cope with unfamiliar food), paracetamol (for the sudden headache), hydrocortisone (for itchy bug bites), and something for motion sickness (for extended car rides). 

For these, make sure you take your doctor’s advice.

3.3 Self-soothing Aids

During an origin trip, we will frequently be on the move in unfamiliar territory and the diverse company of friends, acquaintances, as well as strangers. 

It’s natural to want to step back, as the itinerary allows, to recharge our social battery and even reconnect with the feeling of home. 

What can help here is an item that readily makes you feel at home. Our Dave Peralta’s friend once brought a local gin from his country. 

To help reclaim or create a sense of personal space, earplugs are a mainstay for our Kemal Risyad. Noise-cancelling earphones would serve their purpose too.

How to Capture Memories?

4. A Camera (or more!) & Peripherals

This barely needs elaboration, but bear with us a bit.

It’s just a must to document it all, or as much of it as possible. At origin trips, we’re guaranteed to see picturesque scenery, be a part of endearing slice-of-life episodes, and share unrepeatable crazy-good moments with people we might not have the chance to spend time with, in the same way, again or at least not for an immensely long time.

It’s also the perfect opportunity to gather visuals for your specialty coffee endeavors, be it a coffee shop, roastery, or the personal brand you are crafting and nurturing as a specialty coffee practitioner and personality.

5. A Notebook & Pen

Related to #4, it’s been said that we experience everything at least twice — as we are living it and when we remember. The remarks you jot down during the day or before you turn in at night would complement the photos and videos you took, and may be useful for when you need to curate a set of visuals for different purposes.

How to Stay Nourished?

6. A Reusable H2O Bottle

We can’t have a great adventure without staying healthy, and staying hydrated is key to that! Make sure you always carry water with you and can re-fill as often as you need to, especially in case the weather turns hot and humid. And even if it doesn’t, all the walking and interactions we’ll have will require frequent thirst-quenching throughout the day.

7. Coffee!!! & Brewing Gear

Sure, we’ll probably be cupping a whole lot of coffee — but what about for breakfast and our breaks, right? Our Frederick Bejo has a penchant for bringing Ethiopian coffee whenever, and wherever he travels.

To brew your own, we’re almost too certain you know the drill. But just in case, it doesn’t hurt to mention it here too. At the minimum, you’ll want to bring: 

•   A hand grinder
•   An unbreakable, handy brewer — popular ones are Aeropress and Hario V60
•   A way of heating water

For us at Archers, the coffee we bring to origin is not just for brewing and drinking.

When we know we are visiting a producer or a farmer that we’ve sourced coffee from, coffee is most definitely also for gifting! We love to present them with the finished product — at least the Archers version of it — that would not at all be possible without their passion and hard work.

We believe that the feeling of joy and fulfillment is mutual for us, as partners. For them, we believe it’s from seeing their name on finally roasted and packaged coffee, granted a place of pride on their mantlepiece, so to speak.  For us, it’s from taking part in their journey to success.

8. A Snack Stash

Constantly driving between farms and washing stations can take a while, and it will not always be possible to make a pit stop to grab something to eat. 

It’s a smart move to carry nutritious yet fuss-free finger food with you, to tide you over until the next proper meal. It will also be good to have in case certain meals, for any reason, do not agree with you.

For instance, you may prefer to pocket protein bars, nuts, and beef jerky for these long journeys, or count on cup noodles.

What Electronics to Bring?

9. Staple Gadgets

Apart from your camera and mobile phone, which is unlikely for anyone to forget, remember to pack your charger, an international adapter, and power banks, for good measure.  

The same goes for the other gadgets, for example, your laptop, tablet, earphones, and camera, that you need to be traveling with.

How to Make the Most of Your Origin Trip?

10. A Learner’s Heart, an Open Mind

There will be times when we may need to eat food we are not familiar with (with the exception of dietary restrictions due to our religion or medical condition). There will definitely be instances when we need to socialize with folks from a wholly different way of life. 

To make the most of everything and thoroughly enjoy it, we need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. All in all, it’s a matchless, immersive experience, integrating so many things we love. Coffee, friends, travel, and fun that make learning and amassing meaningful memories nearly effortless.

Enjoying specialty coffee is an amazingly effective, and delicious, way to enhance our cultural quotient, and going on an origin trip exponentially amplifies that. If we let it.

Save this guide somewhere easy for you to find. We’re so excited to experience an origin trip with you soon!

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Definition of trip

 (Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

transitive verb

Definition of trip  (Entry 2 of 2)

• peregrination

Examples of trip in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trip.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle English trippen , from Anglo-French treper, triper , of Germanic origin; akin to Old English treppan to tread — more at trap

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3a

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Phrases Containing trip

• business trip
• lay / put a guilt trip on
• on a power trip
• roll / trip off the tongue
• round - trip ticket
• trip - hammer
• trip the light fantastic

Dictionary Entries Near trip

trioxymethylene

Cite this Entry

“Trip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trip. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of trip.

Kids Definition of trip  (Entry 2 of 2)

More from Merriam-Webster on trip

Nglish: Translation of trip for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of trip for Arabic Speakers

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Watch CBS News

Blue Origin launches six passengers on supersonic flight to the edge of space

By William Harwood

August 4, 2022 / 12:23 PM EDT / CBS News

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launched its sixth New Shepard passenger flight Thursday, taking a half dozen space tourists on a supersonic dash to the edge of space and back, complete with a few minutes of weightlessness and out-of-this world views from 66 miles above west Texas.

As the spacecraft coasted up to the high point of its trajectory, a microphone in the crew cabin captured cries of elation and wonder as the passengers unstrapped, began floating about and marveling at the spectacle of Earth far below and the deep black of space above.

"We're doing it!" one shouted. "Oh my God!" gasped another. "Look at the blackness," someone exclaimed. One crew member offered a bit of advice: "take it in, take it in!"

The flight began when the New Shepard's single-stage rocket roared to life and the rocket blasted off from Blue Origin's Van Horn, Texas, flight facility at 9:57 a.m. EDT, shooting straight up into a clear blue sky atop a brilliant jet of flaming exhaust.

On board: a British-American mountain climber, an Egyptian space enthusiast, a Portuguese investor and adventurer, a telecom executive-turned restauranteur, an engineer and a co-founder of the YouTube channel "Dude Perfect."

The hydrogen-burning BE-3 first-stage engine boosted the New Shepard crew capsule to a velocity of 2,239 mph and an eventual altitude of 351,232 feet, well above the U.S. and international standards used to define the "boundary" between the discernible atmosphere and space.

The capsule then arced over and fell back to Earth. Moments after the spacecraft's three main parachutes unfurled and inflated, a crew member loudly joked: "We're not going to die!" Also: "Our poor families!"

Mission duration, from launch to landing: 10 minutes and 20 seconds.

For Sara Sabry, a 29-year-old Egyptian mechanical and biomedical engineer who lives in Berlin while studying for a Ph.D. in aerospace sciences, the length of the flight was not as important as what it symbolized.

"When we dare to dream big, we achieve things deemed impossible, we break boundaries, write history and set new challenges for the future," she told Space for Humanity, the organization sponsoring her flight.

"I am incredibly excited that Space For Humanity has offered me this opportunity and I am honored to be representing Egypt in space for the first time. My ancestors have always dreamt big and achieved the impossible, and I hope to bring that back. This is just the beginning."

Also on board: Coby Cotton, one of five co-founders of " Dude Perfect ," one of the internet's most heavily subscribed sports channels; Mario Ferreira, a Portuguese investor; mountain climber Vanessa O'Brien; Clint Kelly III, an engineer with expertise in autonomous driving systems; and Steve Young, former CEO of a large telecommunications company and now a restaurant developer in Melbourne, Florida.

"With the sale of the company came lots of stupid money," Young told the Florida Today newspaper. "And with stupid money, you can do stupid things. ... I have always been a bit of a braggart-slash-showoff. And what's better than to be able to say you went to space when your buddies can't?"

Blue Origin does not discuss how much it charges for a flight aboard the New Shepard. But Quartz reported MoonDAO, a "decentralized autonomous organization" built on the ethereum blockchain, paid $2,575,000 for two New Shepard seats, including Cotton's. The second seat has not yet been assigned.

"Thanks to the transparency of the blockchain, we know it cost MoonDAO $2,575,000," Quartz reported. "Some of that is transaction fees, but the figure suggests that a seat on New Shepard costs $1.25 million."

The NS-22 mission marked the 12th piloted commercial, non-government sub-orbital spaceflight and the sixth for Blue Origin, which is the early leader in a high-stakes competition between Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson, the billionaire owner of Virgin Galactic.

Branson won the commercial sub-orbital space race in 2018 when his company launched its first piloted test flight above 50 miles, the boundary of space recognized by NASA and the FAA. Branson flew as a passenger on the company's fourth flight in July 2021, its most recent, joining two pilots and three other Virgin Galactic employees.

Bezos, his brother Mark, aviation pioneer Wally Funk and Danish teenager Oliver Daeman took off on Blue Origin's first piloted sub-orbital flight on July 20, 2021, nine days after Branson's launch.

Virgin Galactic has not yet announced a date for its next flight, but Blue Origin followed up the Bezos flight by launching a suite of NASA experiments on an unpiloted mission the next month. Then, on October 13, 2021, William Shatner and three crewmates were launched on the company's 18th flight overall and the second carrying passengers.

Three more crewed New Shepard flights followed on Dec. 11, 2021, March 31 this year and most recently on June 4.

Unlike Virgin's VSS Unity spaceplane, which is launched from a carrier jet and glides to a runway landing after a brief visit to the lower edge of space, Blue Origin's New Shepard is a much more traditional rocket and capsule.

In a little more than two minutes, the single-stage booster propels the capsule and its crew straight up to an altitude of about 32 miles and a velocity of some 2,200 mph before main engine shutdown.

A few seconds later, at an altitude of about 45 miles, the crew capsule is released to fly on its own.

While the reusable booster heads back to landing on a nearby pad, the crew capsule continues upward on an unpowered, ballistic trajectory, reaching a maximum altitude of just above 65 miles three-and-a-half minutes after takeoff.

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), an international body based in Switzerland that certifies aerospace records, considers an altitude of 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, as the dividing line between the discernible atmosphere and space.

NASA and the FAA say 50 miles is the point where wings and aerosurfaces no longer have any effect on a vehicle's motion and thus defines the starting point of "space." Virgin Galactic uses that guideline while Blue Origin meets both standards.

After release from the New Shepard rocket, passengers experience about three minutes of weightlessness, enough time to unstrap and float about the cabin while enjoying spectacular views of Earth through six windows more than a three feet tall and nearly two-and-a-half feet wide.

Plunging back into the lower atmosphere, the capsule rapidly decelerates, briefly subjecting the passengers to more than five times the normal force of gravity, before three large parachutes unfurl, lowering the craft to a gentle touchdown a few miles from the launch pad.

All of that appeared to go like clockwork Thursday.

• Virgin Galactic
• Blue Origin
• Richard Branson

Bill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News.

More from CBS News

SpaceX's Super Heavy-Starship rocket launches on "epic" test flight

Boeing's Starliner successfully docks with space station

United Airlines passengers to see targeted ads on seat-back screens

New efforts to clean up ocean waste help wildlife — and fight microplastics

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Advertisement

to win a trip to Paris.

Synonyms: junket , jaunt , tour , excursion

It's a short trip from Baltimore to Philadelphia.

• round trip ( defs 1, 2 ) .

his daily trip to the bank.

• a stumble; misstep .
• a sudden impeding or catching of a person's foot so as to throw the person down, especially in wrestling.

Synonyms: oversight , lapse

• an error or lapse in conduct or etiquette.
• a light, nimble step or movement of the feet.
• a projecting object mounted on a moving part for striking a control lever to stop, reverse, or otherwise control the actions of some machine, as a milling machine or printing press.
• a sudden release or start.
• a catch of fish taken by a fishing vessel in a single voyage.
• an instance or period of being under the influence of a hallucinogenic drug, especially LSD.
• the euphoria, illusions, etc., experienced during such a period.

The class reunion was a real trip.

She's been on a nostalgia trip all week.

Those early years in college were a bad trip.

verb (used without object)

to trip over a child's toy.

Synonyms: err , blunder , bungle

• to step lightly or nimbly; skip ; dance .

She tripped gaily across the room.

• to make a journey or excursion.
• to tip or tilt.
• Horology. (of a tooth on an escape wheel) to slide past the face of the pallet by which it is supposed to be locked and strike the pallet in such a way as to move the balance or pendulum improperly.

He tripped out on peyote.

verb (used with object)

The rug tripped him up.

• to cause to fail; hinder, obstruct, or overthrow.

to trip up a witness by skillful questioning.

• to catch in a slip or error.
• to break out (an anchor) by turning over or lifting from the bottom by a line tripping line attached to the anchor's crown.
• to tip or turn (a yard) from a horizontal to a vertical position.
• to lift (an upper mast) before lowering.
• to operate, start, or set free (a mechanism, weight, etc.) by suddenly releasing a catch, clutch, or the like.
• Machinery. to release or operate suddenly (a catch, clutch, etc.).
• wedge ( def 17 ) .
• to tread or dance lightly upon (the ground, floor, etc.).
• Archaic. to perform with a light or tripping step, as a dance.
• a group of animals, as sheep, goats, or fowl; flock .
• an outward and return journey, often for a specific purpose
• any tour, journey, or voyage
• a false step; stumble
• any slip or blunder
• a light step or tread
• a manoeuvre or device to cause someone to trip
• any catch on a mechanism that acts as a switch

trip button

• a surge in the conditions of a chemical or other automatic process resulting in an instability
• informal. a hallucinogenic drug experience
• informal. any stimulating, profound, etc, experience
• often foll byup, or when intr, by on or over to stumble or cause to stumble
• to make or cause to make a mistake or blunder
• troften foll byup to trap or catch in a mistake
• intr to go on a short tour or journey
• intr to move or tread lightly
• informal. intr to experience the effects of LSD or any other hallucinogenic drug
• to activate (a mechanical trip)
• to switch electric power off by moving the switch armature to disconnect the supply

Discover More

Derived forms.

• ˈtrippingly , adverb

Other Words From

• un·tripped adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of trip 1

Origin of trip 2

Idioms and Phrases

Mother's been trying to lay a guilt trip on me about leaving home.

• trip the light fantastic , Facetious. to go dancing.

More idioms and phrases containing trip

Synonym study, example sentences.

The show will also include documenting the winner’s ISS trip, including their launch and 10-day space station stay, as well as their return journey and landing.

They’re waterproof, which makes them good for whitewater trips, too.

Some said, “That’ll be the trip of your life,” while others noted, “That place will change you.”

It’s here that my parents told me to take a trip to the village to search for these answers on my own.

Case would even offer to fly out promising and hard-to-reach startups to have them join the trip.

Finding the shop is a trip in itself and an introduction to a slice of history.

Anthony Goldstein probably chose a trip to the Quidditch World Cup over his Birthright trip to Israel.

After my first trip to his place in Tucson we called one another on the telephone.

“During this trip, I did as a lone wolf, I risked a lot,” he said.

My trip takes the reverse path, and I begin by assessing the depth of my Shakespeare knowledge in his birthplace.

The Comet started on her first trip up the Arkansas, being the first steam boat that ascended that river.

Liszt has returned from his trip, and I have played to him twice this week, and am to go again on Monday.

But Punch was five; and he knew that going to England would be much nicer than a trip to Nassick.

The Italian trip was discussed, and considerable ignorance of geography was, as is usual, manifested by all present.

I knowed, a-course, that I could go kick up a fuss when Simpson stopped by his office on his trip back from Goldstone.

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Blue Origin: everything you need to know about the Amazon.com of space

Jeff Bezos is hot on Elon Musk's heels

Expensive, expendable rockets are history. Humanity's future is to take its heavy industry into space to protect Earth, and travel to space safely, reliably and affordably. That's what Blue Origin is all about.

What was once a secretive research company now has proven rocket launch systems and advanced plans to take commercial paying payloads and space tourists into space. Open for business, rapidly growing and quickly gaining commercial contracts, is Blue Origin on course to become the next Amazon .com of space?

What is Blue Origin and who owns it?

Blue Origin is an aerospace manufacturer founded in 2000 that's 100% privately funded by the richest man in the world. Jeff Bezos is the founder and CEO of Amazon.com, and owner of The Washington Post newspaper, and so far most of the accomplishments by Blue Origin have been funded by his own personal investment. According to the New York Times he sells $1 billion (about £800 million, AU$1.4 billion) of his own Amazon stock each year to finance Blue Origin.

Jeff Bezos got divorced from his wife MacKenzie in early 2019 and he was granted all of her interests in the Washington Post and Blue Origin , so there are no ownership issues.

Besides, Blue Origin is now rapidly gaining commercial contracts, so will be less dependent on the private investment of Bezos in the future. It’s also quickly expanding.

Where is Blue Origin based?

Blue Origin has a new HQ and R&D facility in Kent, Washington. However, its engineers oversee launches from a private suborbital launch and engine test site on Bezos' ranch just north of Van Horn, West Texas. However, it's now constructing an orbital launch facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, with a rocket construction facility close by, and a $200 million (about £150, AU$300) rocket engine production facility in Huntsville, Alabama.

In April 2019 a deal was signed with NASA to allow Blue Origin to test its BE-3U and BE-4 liquefied natural gas rocket engines at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center also in Huntsville. The 300-foot-tall, vertical firing test stand 4670 was used by NASA in the 1960s to test the massive Saturn V rockets that took the Apollo spacecraft to the moon, as well as engines for the space shuttle.

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A commitment by the US Air Force to use its super-rocket of the future called New Glenn (see below) means Blue Origin is looking into building a launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Blue Origin is going large and getting big, though it's got some way to go to reach the size of SpaceX .

What are Blue Origin's long-term goals?

Blue Origin's motto is gradatim ferociter , Latin for 'step by step, ferociously', but a clue to the company's long-term goals is in its name. The point of Blue Origin is to develop "technologies to enable human access to space at a dramatically lower cost and increased reliability," though Bezos has always been very clear that he doesn't think humanity should abandon Earth to go looking for a better home. Instead, he wants to see millions of people living and working in space, getting heavy industry and power generation off Earth, so that Earth can be preserved. 

“We can harvest resources from asteroids, from Near-Earth Objects, and harvest solar energy from a much broader surface area – and continue to do amazing things,” he said in 2017 . The alternative, he said, was an era of stasis and stagnation on Earth, where we are forced to control the population and limit energy usage per capita.

“I don’t think stasis is compatible with freedom or liberty, and I sure as hell think it’s going to be a very boring world – I want my grandchildren’s grandchildren to be in a world of pioneering, exploration and expansion throughout the solar system.”

Blue Origin is also interested in moon missions and is involved with the Moon Race project to boost the movement around Moon exploration.

Its first lunar lander, Blue Moon, was unveiled at an event in May 2019. The lander will come in two variations: one capable of carrying a 3.6 metric ton payload, and another able to carry 6.5 metric tons (the latter of which will be rated to carry people).

Blue Moon will be carried aboard the New Glenn rocket (see below), and its descent engine will be powered by liquid hydrogen, which Blue Origin ultimately hopes could be harvested from the moon's polar ice using electrolysis.

Blue Origin’s reusable New Shepard suborbital system

Blue Origin is a rocket-making company, and for now, it makes rockets that can reach space, but not orbit the Earth. That makes them ideal to take astronauts and research payloads past the internationally recognised boundary of space

A 60-foot. reusable sub-orbital rocket, New Shepard (named after Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American to go to space) is powered by a BE-3PM rocket engine. First flown in April 2015, New Shepard launches from a conventional launchpad, and a 12 ft. diameter crew capsule detaches and travels past the Kármán Line (62 miles/100km). It then parachutes back to Earth to be refurbished and reused.

Blue Origin and human spaceflight

It's important to appreciate that Blue Origin, as well as SpaceX and even Virgin Galactic, are not specifically space tourism companies, but it's probably going to be a good way to raise revenue for their bigger, off-planet ambitions.

So far Blue Origin has only sent 'Mannequin Skywalker' into space in New Shepard, but it has big and advanced plans for human spaceflight. In fact, its crew capsule is custom-made for observing Earth, with 43x29-inch windows alongside six reclining leather chairs.

Blue Origin now looks to be close to going live on space tourism after 10 missions, including a successful escape test in July 2018, when it fired the crew capsule escape motor at the highest altitude ever.

What will Blue Origin astronauts experience?

The 11-minute Blue Origin trip to the edge of space is going to be something akin to what Apollo astronauts experienced in the 1960s and 1970s on their missions to the moon. Six paying passengers will sit in the crew capsule on top of a New Shepard rocket. After a vertical launch, the engines will burn for two-and-a-half minutes and reach three times the speed of sound before the rockets and crew capsule detach from one another.

Those six passengers will keep going until they reach space, where they will enjoy three minutes of weightlessness while looking at the curvature of the Earth from space. They will then plummet to Earth before parachutes unfurl to take them slowly and safely back to the surface.

Blue Origin's Apollo-like vertical take-off, short-duration spaceflight trips makes it drastically different from what space tourists will experience with Virgin Galactic.

Does Blue Origin have any commercial contracts?

Yes – and they're coming in fast. After a long period as a secretive, privately funded research company with only a few small development contracts from NASA, Blue Origin is fully now out in the open, pitching for and winning large commercial contracts in the rocket launch business. That's a big deal for a company that needs to rapidly grow if it's going to achieve its goal of dramatically lowering launch costs.

In January 2019 it also worked under ‪NASA's Flight Opportunities program, taking a cabin full of ‪NASA payloads to space on its New Shepard mission (NS-10). In August 2018 Blue Origin signed a $10 million (about £8 million, AU$14 million) contract with NASA on developing a system for landing on the moon. Blue Origin will work on cryogenic liquid propulsion for a lunar lander-scaled integrated propulsion system; it could eventually mean a Blue Origin moon landing.

Blue Origin has also snagged a $500 million (about £400 million, AU$700 million) contract to develop its next-generation New Glenn rocket for the US Air Force. And in a further boost for development costs, two of its BE-4 rocket engines, now being designed for New Glenn, have been selected to power United Launch Alliance’s upcoming Vulcan rocket, due to fly in 2021.

Blue Origin's New Glenn orbital rocket

This is the big one designed to take people and payloads into orbit – and it’s already helping Blue Origin challenge the likes of SpaceX. A heavy-lift rocket due in 2021, the US$2.5 billion New Glenn (named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, in 1962) will be a reusable rocket powered by seven BE-4 engines. With a combined thrust of nearly four million pounds, Blue Origin claims that New Glenn will carry twice as much cargo into space as any other launch provider in the market.

Despite it not even existing yet, the space industry is clearly interested. In January 2019 it was announced that New Glenn rockets will be used to launch Telesat’s broadband internet satellites into space, which will involve multiple rocket launches, while in October 2018 the US Air Force committed to using it (and Vulcan) for national security space (NSS) missions. Blue Origin also has launch deals with OneWeb , Eutelsat and muSpace on its books.

What's next for Blue Origin?

Though human spaceflight may soon begin on its New Shepard vehicle, the space race will truly begin when New Glenn starts flying. It's already a new era for Blue Origin. Now on the cusp of offering human spaceflight trips, getting more involved with NASA, and with money in the bank to expand and develop the next generation of heavy-lift orbital rockets, Blue Origin is ready to go places.

• SpaceX: everything you need to know

Jamie is a freelance tech, travel and space journalist based in the UK. He’s been writing regularly for Techradar since it was launched in 2008 and also writes regularly for Forbes, The Telegraph, the South China Morning Post, Sky & Telescope and the Sky At Night magazine as well as other Future titles T3, Digital Camera World, All About Space and Space.com. He also edits two of his own websites,  TravGear.com  and  WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com  that reflect his obsession with travel gear and solar eclipse travel. He is the author of  A Stargazing Program For Beginners  (Springer, 2015),

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The new travel startup that wants to plan trips around workcations

Despite continuing spikes around both COVID and oil prices, that isn’t stopping many people from traveling this summer. And for many of those travelers, they’ll be trying to make the most out of their time away from home, often booking extended stays and working remotely on top of taking personal time off.

There are a number of new terms around this trend , sometimes referred to as “ workcations ” or “ bleisure ” (business and leisure) travel. Whatever you want to call it, this is a trend that might become a permanent practice for some professionals, and there’s a new luxury travel app tapping into the market right away.

Founded by two tech executives, Origin is a new travel company that creates completely personalized trips with expert support—all in one app through on machine learning based on the user’s interests, values, and connections with other travelers.

Based on a rising demand from travelers, Origin has created more itineraries that address adding work days to leisure trips. In response to the complexity of travel during the pandemic, Origin launched a “Where Can I Go” feature on the app, which helps users decide where to travel based on their interests and COVID restriction preferences.

Cofounder and CEO Eli Bressert recently shared more with Fortune about launching a new travel business as the world opens up again and trends to watch out for this summer.

The following interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

Could you share a bit about your professional background before launching Origin?

Most of my professional experience is in machine learning, A.I., and product. At Apple , I led the Siri platform science and insights team. Before that, I was at Convoy, where I helped transform the trucking industry with data science and its impact on automation, economics, human-in-the-loop optimization, and scaling. I was also the data engineering and analytics manager at Netflix where I helped reinvent entertainment by leveraging data, algorithms, and engineering for Netflix Originals, recommendations, UI design, optimization, and messaging. At Stitch Fix, I led the research and development division on algorithms that created a high-touch service and style of clothing that we made hyper-scalable by using machine learning, and that’s what we’re doing at Origin.

The travel industry is certainly rebounding, but between the ongoing pandemic (and constantly changing travel requirements) and inflation (and a possible recession looming), it might not seem intuitive to launch a travel company right now. What inspired Origin?

I couldn’t agree more! Travel is now more complex than ever, with travelers spending about two to three days of planning and booking for each week of vacation with limited help and advice. It’s clear that for the last three decades technology has helped make travel more searchable, but there has been a growing lack of planning and personalization—exactly what Origin is tackling. 

My cofounder, Tamar van de Paal, and I created Origin because modern travel has become extremely complicated and we believe that transformational travel allows people to live out their dreams. The barrier of travel planning, the time it consumes, and insider knowledge on destinations are holding people back from maximizing their travel experiences. Origin removes all those obstacles and makes the end-to-end experience a breeze. It was also conceived during a time of endless lockdowns, a desperate need for a change of scenery and a renewed craving for culture and exciting outdoor experiences.

We found that travel planning has always been a puzzle and a time trap. With locations open again, Origin curators will make the most of trip planning, they are available for constantly changing local travel regulation and COVID testing requirements, as well as cancellations policies. Standard online travel agencies do not offer this level of agility and support. Origin also allows members to unlock self-service support all within the app, helping members avoid the necessity of always doing phone calls and old fashioned self help tools.

Part of why Origin has gained attention is that it is touted for planning trips around “workcations,” or mixing working remotely with vacation time. How would this look in practice? And what are the benefits of mixing work and vacation time?

With remote work becoming more and more the norm, workcations are popular trips that Origin services on a regular basis now. Destinations and experiences vary, as well as time spent. Origin has seen clients request a quick weekend getaway with the following week set for work in a remote lodge, while others have sought out trips of 40 days+ to travel and work hand-in-hand.

As a remote-inclusive company, Origin is uniquely positioned to propose the best workcations designed by curators who are encouraged to work from anywhere around the world. 

Workcations consist of a trip that is seven days long or more, with scattered morning and evening activities and plenty of time in the day to focus on work. Our curators select hotels especially for workcations to ensure they meet our criteria: spacious rooms or suites with floor to ceiling windows looking out to stunning views; a comfortable chair and wide desk; high-speed Wi-Fi of at least 100Mbps all around the property grounds; 24-hour room service; a fully-stocked coffee-station with healthy snacks in-suite. We make sure to include morning wellness sessions like a private yoga class or a surf lesson, prior to the blocks of time dedicated for work. 

Many travel industry experts have been forecasting a busy summer ahead for the travel industry, and anyone who has been to a major airport lately can already confirm. What do you think will be some of the top travel trends this summer?

We’re seeing a spike in island hopping and yacht rentals in the Mediterranean this summer. People are running into availability issues at hotels on land and don’t want to miss out on the summer fun in the Greek Islands or the Amalfi Coast so they take to the waters with private boats and yachts. It’s going to be a busy summer on land and at sea!

Destination weddings and multi-destination honeymoons are very popular this summer. This trend is a result of being on lockdown for so long, not being able to travel and wanting to be with family and friends again in the same place. Travelers are requesting small wedding ceremonies to be arranged in stunning locations and then honeymoons with many stops. These adventure honeymoons are merging their celebration of love with their passion for culture and nature.

How is the company funded? Is it self-funded or have you reached out to investors? What has the financing process been like?

Origin has raised over $5 million in funding from top investors including Project A, Cavalry Ventures, and notable angels like David Rosenthal (cohost of Acquired), Brad Klingeberg (CAO of Daily Harvest and previously Stitch Fix), John Johnson (cofounder of Buzzfeed). We did our seed round in December last year and we are exploring the best moment for our Series A round. 

Looking forward five years, how do you want to Origin to grow? What kind of services do you want to add in the future?

The future is bright for Origin. I have a few ideas in mind that we’re already working on. Some of these include:

• Continue to invest in our app to deliver seamless and augmented travel experiences. I’d like to see more pre- and post-trip user experiences to enhance features, and integrate with third party services to make Origin the one place on the user’s device that facilitates their whole trip.
• We’re currently focusing on the premium travel market. Once we develop our technology platforms to support this, we want to bring seamless travel experiences to all travelers of all budget segments.
• Today we offer our services and travel content in English. Five years from now, we plan to support five or more languages on the app.
• Arranging trips, passing along details to partners, and booking lodgings/flights with the right preferences is hard. The tools out there today are not user-friendly or unintuitive. We are creating our own platform to superpower our travel team and partners with A.I. and machine learning. This will, in effect, guarantee the best personalized travel experiences possible. 

This is an installment of  Startup Year One , a special series of interviews with founders about the major lessons they have learned in the immediate aftermath of their businesses’ first year of operation.

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Jeff Bezos And Blue Origin Travel Deeper Into Space Than Richard Branson

Scott Neuman

A mural of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos adorns the side of a building in Van Horn, Texas, over the weekend. Bezos launched into space Tuesday morning from Blue Origin's facilities in the town. Sean Murphy/AP hide caption

A mural of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos adorns the side of a building in Van Horn, Texas, over the weekend. Bezos launched into space Tuesday morning from Blue Origin's facilities in the town.

Jeff Bezos has become the second billionaire this month to reach the edge of space, and he did so aboard a rocket built by a company he launched.

Liftoff! Jeff Bezos And 3 Crewmates Travel To Space And Back In Under 15 Minutes

Besides Bezos, the crew included brother Mark Bezos (left), 18-year-old physics student Oliver Daemen and 82-year-old pioneering female aviator Wally Funk. Blue Origin hide caption

Besides Bezos, the crew included brother Mark Bezos (left), 18-year-old physics student Oliver Daemen and 82-year-old pioneering female aviator Wally Funk.

The founder of Amazon, who stepped down as CEO this month, lifted off early Tuesday with three crewmates on the maiden flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard launch vehicle.

Riding with Bezos on the planned 11-minute flight were brother Mark Bezos as well as the oldest and youngest people ever to fly into space – 82-year-old pioneering female aviator Wally Funk and Oliver Daemen , 18, a physics student. Daemen, whose seat was paid for by his father, Joes Daemen , CEO of Somerset Capital Partners, was put on the crew after the winner of an anonymous $28 million auction for the flight had to postpone due to a scheduling conflict.

The crew took off on a special anniversary

New Shepard lifted off from the company's facilities in Van Horn, Texas , shortly after 9 a.m. ET.

The date of July 20 for the inaugural flight is significant – it's the same day in 1969 that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin aboard Apollo 11's Eagle became the first humans to land on the moon.

Bragging rights over Branson

New Shepard's suborbital flight was designed to take the crew past the Kármán line , the internationally recognized boundary of space, at nearly 330,000 feet, or roughly 62 miles above the Earth. That will give Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin — which he founded in 2000 — bragging rights over Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson, whose flight this month aboard SpaceShipTwo hit a peak altitude of around 282,000 feet, surpassing NASA's designated Earth-space boundary of 50 miles, but falling well short of the Kármán line.

Richard Branson Has Completed A Historic Trip To The Edge Of Space On Virgin Galactic

Blue origin vs. virgin galactic.

Besides the altitude, the New Shepard launch had some other key differences with Branson's July 11 flight: Instead of lifting off from a pad, the Virgin Galactic vehicle was dropped from under a specially designed aircraft at about 50,000 feet before firing its ascent engines. The Virgin Galactic spacecraft also glided back to Earth for a space shuttle-like runway landing.

By contrast, the 60-foot tall New Shepard launched like a conventional rocket, and its capsule was designed to return home dangling from three parachutes in a manner similar to NASA's human spaceflights of the 1960s and '70s. However, its booster returned to the pad for a soft touchdown so that it can be reused later. And the capsule, with Bezos and his crewmates aboard, came back to the high plains of Texas using braking rockets, instead of splashing down at sea.

New Shepard, which is fully autonomous, is named after Alan Shepard, who in 1961 became the first American into space.

Elon Musk has hasn't made it to space, but his company has

With Bezos' flight complete, Elon Musk, the head of SpaceX, is left as the odd man out in the billionaire space race. Even so, Musk's SpaceX, which has flown astronauts to the International Space Station, is a heavyweight in the commercial space business compared with either Virgin Galactic or Blue Origin.

Branson and Bezos are hoping to tap into the potentially lucrative market for space tourism, while Musk is more focused on working with NASA, gaining market share in the satellite launch industry, and on his dream to send humans to Mars.

Even so, Musk turned up to watch Branson's flight and has reportedly put down a $10,000 deposit to reserve a seat to fly on a future Virgin Galactic flight, where tickets are thought to go for $250,000 a pop, but it's unknown if or when he will buckle in and blast off.

Planning Your Origin Travel Successfully

Friso Spoor

• February 17, 2022

Every coffee professional will need to plan origin trips at least once to understand the culture behind coffee production. But how to plan a successful origin trip? As green coffee importers, we regularly plan visits to origin countries and we always leave with a mini-mission. 

So let’s talk about mission planning to get the most out of your trip. Sourcing, relationship management, and content creation. Which Quest are you taking?

Scenario 1: Sourcing

Finding your best pick of the harvest starts with formulating a general idea of your needs. Don’t keep these ideas in your notepad, share them with your export partners and farmers in advance! This includes all sample-related requests, such as how many samples you aim to cup and the possibility to bring those samples home. Being clear about your needs will help you achieve your mission.

Time management is of vital importance for sourcing goals. Farm visits require you to make an itinerary together with your suppliers. Visiting one farm can take up a whole day and planning too many farm visits per trip can be exhausting.  Moreover, connecting with farmers and cupping their coffee is part of your timeline as well. Often, the morning is the perfect moment to cup to not lose the rest of the day!

When to go?

The perfect moment to benefit more from sourcing trips is after the harvest season . Each coffee batch needs resting in the warehouse (too loose the greenish flavour), the coffee will harmonize the moisture content and the flavour will become more balanced. This is the ideal window to taste the coffee before the farmers and exporters distribute samples to other potential buyers (usually 2-3 weeks after the resting). Leave a message to your partner to prepare harvest samples early on!

Scenario 2: Relationship management

Have you ever met your partners in coffee production? Why not take a trip to reinforce the partnerships? 

These trips are the best moment to develop a personal relationships, both with long-term and potential new suppliers. You listed out names, calculated the distance and accessibility, considered the time you spend with each producer. Step-by-step, all dots are connecting to prepare you final itinerary. 

Prior to departure, does your suitcase have space for presents? Take along with you some roasted coffee of other origins for local producers to try out. (However, always bring roasted beans, or your green coffee might end up at a custom check. Bringing green coffee back home is no problem!)

You might consider going during the harvest season. However, you might risk stopping by during a farmers’ busiest day. Therefore, one solution is to communicate in advance with your producing partners to align to their availability.

Scenario 3: Content creation

This migh not be a sourcing emergency, but your business might need to refresh some content for the website and social media. Hence, it is time you set up a visit to your suppliers and collect content materials along the way. 

Determining (along with your Marketing crew) how you want the final content to be shared. Your dream content will tell you which equipment you need to carry in your luggage, including a camera, drones, mics, or physical notes. Are you planning to take a second partner as a photographer on the trip? This is the best way to appear on the content yourself!

Visiting during harvest season is a must to capture ripe cherry harvesting and procesing on camera. You can combine relationship management with the mission of content creation.

Above all, regardless of your mission, there are some important reminders for our trip planners:

• Contact the exporter beforehand and be clear about your mission of the trip. Ask them for advice about airport pick-ups and local transport.
• Check your visa/entry requirements are arranged in advance. They might be slower than expected during and after Covid.
• Try to get your 3G/4G plan arranged upon arrival. Having internet access during the many hours in the car will be welcomed by your friends and family. Remember the time difference!
• Don’t plan a tight schedule! Your experience will benefit better from a timeline with rooms of flexibility 
• Double check & test all of your equipment: camera, drone,… (and batteries!)

Don't miss out the fun

This brings us to our final remark, don’t leave out the experience! Origin travel does not only mean coffee! By mixing in moments to experience culture you will get a better understanding about local life. Hence, do some tourist activities, try local food if you are up for it, and have fun! 

What’s your next destination?

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NEW SHEPARD MISSION NS-25

New glenn goes vertical, fly to space on new shepard, nasa selects blue origin, reusable rocket engines.

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William shatner’s blue origin trip filled him with ‘dread’ for earth amid the ‘vicious coldness of space’: new book.

Billionaire Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin charges top dollar for trips to space, but some customers may feel “overwhelming sadness” on the journey. That’s how William Shatner describes feeling on his trip out of Earth’s atmosphere last year, which he took thanks to an invitation from the Amazon founder.

The Star Trek alum describes the experience in his new book Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder , an excerpt of which Variety published this week .

Shatner, sounding like Captain James T. Kirk, writes: “I love the mystery of the universe…Stars exploding years ago, their light traveling to us years later; black holes absorbing energy; satellites showing us entire galaxies in areas thought to be devoid of matter entirely…all of that has thrilled me for years.”

But he was caught off guard, it seems, by his own reaction to the “vicious coldness of space” surrounding the planet’s “nurturing, sustaining, life.”

“When I looked in the opposite direction, into space, there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold…all I saw was death,” he writes. “I saw a cold, dark, black emptiness. It was unlike any blackness you can see or feel on Earth. It was deep, enveloping, all-encompassing.”

He also felt sadness, he writes, because of the damage being done to the planet:

“Every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of Earth at our hands: the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna…things that took five billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because of the interference of mankind. It filled me with dread. My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral.”

Space travel risks

Privately owned Blue Origin, founded in 2000 and funded by Bezos, has launched dozens of paying customers to the edge of space. Its New Shepard rocket-capsule system sends passengers 62 miles above the planet, where they experience microgravity before the capsule returns to land under parachutes.

How much customers pay varies widely , with some celebrities—including Shatner and former NFL star Michael Strahan—given free flights while others spend well over $20 million.

Bezos himself was among the first passengers in 2021, when he joined others in the debut crewed launch.

The journey is not without risk. Last month, a New Shepard booster engine flared during ascent, causing a rocket to crash in the Texas desert. The capsule, which in that case had no crew aboard, successfully jetted away from rocket and parachuted safely back to land.

Shatner, age 90 at the time of his trip, was keenly aware of the risks. He writes:

“The ground crew kept reassuring us along the way. ‘Everything’s going to be fine. Don’t worry about anything. It’s all okay.’ Sure, easy for them to say, I thought. They get to stay here on the ground …When the day finally arrived, I couldn’t get the Hindenburg out of my head. Not enough to cancel, of course—I hold myself to be a professional, and I was booked. The show had to go on.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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In a Blue Origin Rocket, William Shatner Finally Goes to Space

The actor who played Captain Kirk played the role of pitchman for Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight company at a time that it is facing a number of workplace and business difficulties.

William Shatner Blasts off to Space on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Rocket

At 90 years old, the actor william shatner became the oldest person to travel to space and cross the kármán line. the “star trek” star traveled to space with three other passengers on a mission that lasted about 10 minutes..

“T-minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 — command engines start — 2, 1.” “The rocket is climbing towards an altitude, we’re aiming just over the Kármán line, the internationally recognized line of space of 100 kilometers that is about 328,000 feet, and a gorgeous view down the rocket. And there they are, over 328,000 feet, over 100 kilometers. Welcome to space, the newest astronauts on board our crew capsule. And here come the mains. Oh, what a flight.” “Stand by touchdown. Stand by touchdown.” “Stand by touchdown.” And the capsule touched down. Welcome back. The newest astronauts, Audrey Powers, William Shatner; our customers, Glen de Vries and Chris Boshuizen. What a day for you. Welcome back.” [cheering]

By Joey Roulette

NEAR VAN HORN, TEXAS — William Shatner , the actor best known as the heroic Captain James T. Kirk in “Star Trek,” and three other passengers returned safely from a brief trip to the edge of space on Wednesday.

Mr. Shatner, 90, became the world’s oldest space traveler on the flight, which was the latest excursion over the West Texas desert aboard a rocket built by Blue Origin for space tourists. The private space company is owned by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and one of the wealthiest men on the planet.

It was the sixth launch carrying private passengers this year, as billionaire-backed companies jockey to normalize launching humans to space. Carrying two paying passengers, the quick jaunt to space also checked off another revenue-generating flight for Blue Origin’s space tourism business, advancing competition with Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic to attract more wealthy and adventure-seeking customers.

But the successful flight and landing came amid a string of controversies for Mr. Bezos’ company, particularly charges from current and former employees that its workplace culture was “rife” with sexism and that it prioritized speed over addressing some employees’ safety concerns. The company has rebutted the criticisms, but has also faced setbacks in other lines of its business.

William Shatner Is Brought to Tears Describing His Trip to Space

The actor who played captain kirk in “star trek” told jeff bezos his visit to the edge of space in the blue origin rocket was the most profound experience he could imagine..

Just unbelievable, unbelievable. I mean, you know, the little things — but to see the blue color whip by, and now you’re staring into blackness, that’s the thing. The covering of blue is — this sheet, this blanket, this comforter, this comforter of blue that we have around, we think, “Oh, it’s blue sky. And then suddenly, you shoot through it all of the sudden as though you’re whipping a sheet off you when you’re asleep. And you’re looking into blackness, into black ugliness and you look down, there’s the blue down there and the black up there. And it’s just — there is Mother Earth, comfort. And there is — is there, death? I don’t know — was that death, is that the way death is? Whoop, and it’s gone. Jesus. It was so moving to me. What you have given me is the most profound experience I can imagine. I’m so filled with emotion about what just happened. I just — it’s extraordinary, extraordinary. I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain what I feel now. I don’t want to lose it. It’s so — so much larger than me and life. And this is now the commercial, everybody — it would be so important for everybody to have that experience.

Those concerns were absent on Wednesday as an effusive Mr. Shatner bent Mr. Bezos’ ear just outside the capsule after it landed, pouring forth words during a video livestream to describe his brief trek into the limits of the planet’s atmosphere. His trip aboard the rocket might have been conceived as a publicity stunt, but brushing the edge of the sky left the actor full of wonder, mixed with unease.

“What you have given me is the most profound experience I can imagine,” Mr. Shatner told Mr. Bezos, waxing poetically about the “immeasurably small” line he witnessed between Earth and space, describing it as a fragile, underappreciated boundary between life and death.

“This air which is keeping us alive is thinner than your skin,” he continued, adding: “it would be so important for everybody to have that experience, through one means or another.”

Mr. Bezos, who has said he was inspired by “Star Trek” as a boy, listened, still as a statue. He may have been giving Mr. Shatner some space, but it was a sharp contrast to his appearance after his own brief spaceflight in July, when he was aboard the same spacecraft. Then, Mr. Bezos held forth from a stage, rousing condemnation from critics of the vast company he founded as he thanked Amazon’s employees and customers for making it possible for him to finance his private space venture.

Mr. Shatner shared the capsule on Wednesday with three other passengers: Audrey Powers, a Blue Origin vice president who oversees New Shepard operations, and two paying customers: Chris Boshuizen, a co-founder of the Earth-observation company Planet Labs, and Glen de Vries, a co-founder of a company that builds software for clinical researchers.

The launch Wednesday morning was pushed back by roughly an hour by two pauses to the launch countdown — caused in part by extra checks to the spacecraft and winds near its launchpad. The quartet was driven in electric pickup trucks to Blue Origin’s launchpad, roughly an hour before liftoff, flanked by Mr. Bezos and company employees.

For a moment, it appeared Mr. Bezos, dressed in a flight suit like the one he wore in July, would join them in flying to space. But he closed the hatch door before leaving the pad, sending the crew on their journey.

The rocket lifted off at 9:49 a.m. Central time, ascending nearly as fast as a speeding bullet at 2,235 miles per hour and sending the crew some 65.8 miles high. The whole trip lasted 10 minutes, 17 seconds, and gave the four passengers about four minutes of weightlessness.

Mr. Boshuizen, talking to reporters after the flight, likened the crew’s entry into space to a stone hitting the surface of a lake. “I was trying to smile but my jaw was pushed back in my head,” he said.

Mr. de Vries said the crew “had a moment of camaraderie” when they reached space. “We actually just put our hands together,” he said.

“And then we enjoyed the view as much as we can,” Mr. de Vries said.

In video footage released later by Blue Origin, Mr. Shatner appeared nearly speechless as the crew floated inside the capsule, legs aloft and small toys wafting around. “This is nuts,” said Ms. Powers, gripping the frame of one of the capsule’s windows.

William Shatner and Crew Float in Space

Footage captured the 90-year-old “star trek” actor and three other passengers floating weightless inside the blue origin spacecraft capsule during their trip to the edge of space..

“God.” “Weightlessness. Oh, Jesus.” [laughter] “No description can equal this.” “This is nuts.” “Oh, my God.” [laughter] “This is Earth.” “Oh wow.” “Holy hell.” “Oh, my goodness. Wow.”

The capsule then descended back to land under a set of three parachutes.

Mr. Shatner wasn’t thrilled about his new status as the oldest person to fly into space. “I wish I had broken the world record in the 10-yard dash, but unfortunately it was how old I was,” he said hours after the mission during a news conference on the landing pad. He beat the record recently clinched during Blue Origin’s first crewed flight in July by Wally Funk, an 82-year-old pilot and former candidate for NASA’s astronaut corps who was turned down from joining in the 60s because of her sex.

Like Blue Origin’s July trip, in which Mr. Bezos launched to space with Ms. Funk and two other passengers, Wednesday’s flight served as an advertisement of the company’s space tourism business to prospective wealthy customers. It is competing primarily with Virgin Galactic, a rival space company founded by Richard Branson, the British businessman.

Virgin Galactic’s suborbital ship is a space plane that takes off from a runway like a commercial airliner. It tops out at a lower altitude. The company sent Mr. Branson and three company employees to the edge of space in July aboard SpaceShipTwo, nine days before Mr. Bezos’ flight.

Blue Origin has declined to publicly state a price for a ticket to fly on New Shepard. The company is nearing $100 million in sales so far, Mr. Bezos had said in July. But it’s unclear how many ticket holders that includes.

Tickets on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo were hiked to $450,000 in August, from $250,000, when the company reopened ticket sales after a yearslong hiatus. And flights to orbit — a much higher altitude than Blue Origin or Virgin Galactic’s trips go — are far more expensive. Three passengers going to the International Space Station next year are paying $55 million each for their seats on a SpaceX rocket, bought through the company Axiom Space.

But space tourism is not Blue Origin’s only business, nor its only challenge. Earlier this year, the company lost out to SpaceX, the rival rocket company owned by the billionaire Elon Musk, for a lucrative NASA contract to land humans on the moon. The company is currently challenging the award to SpaceX in federal court, and may receive a ruling in November.

Mr. Bezos’ company is also attempting to overcome technical hurdles in its effort to finish building its much bigger rocket, New Glenn, as well as that rocket’s engines, which are to be relied on by a competitor, United Launch Alliance, to fly NASA and Pentagon hardware on its rockets.

Its most immediate challenge has concerned accusations that the company’s work culture allowed harassment and sexist behavior. In September, Alexandra Abrams, the former head of employee communications at Blue Origin, published an essay with 20 unnamed current and former employees of the company outlining those charges, as well as accusations that internal safety concerns were often dismissed by management.

“Even if there are absolutely zero issues with all of Blue’s programs, which is absolutely not the case, a toxic culture bursting with schedule pressure and untrustworthy leaders breeds and encourages failures and mistakes each and every day,” Ms. Abrams said this week.

Blue Origin disputed the allegations in the essay, saying in a statement that the company has an internal hotline for sexual harassment complaints. And on Wednesday’s livestream of the launch, Ariane Cornell, Blue Origin’s astronaut sales director, emphasized the company’s safety record, saying “safety has been baked into the design of New Shepard from day one.”

On Wednesday after the flight, Mr. Shatner also brought up New Shepard’s safety.

“I think, just generally, the press needs to know how safe this was,” he said, adding “the technology is very safe, the approach was safe, the training was safe and everything went according to exactly what they predicted. We even waited for the winds an extra half-hour.”

But asked by reporters if he would launch to space again, he said, “I am so filled with such an emotion, I don’t want to dissipate it by thinking of another journey.”

David Streitfeld and Daniel E. Slotnik contributed reporting.

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Meaning of trip in English

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trip noun ( JOURNEY )

• You should always check your oil , water and tyres before taking your car on a long trip.
• How about a trip to the zoo this afternoon ?
• She's going on a trip to New York, all expenses paid .
• The travel company has written giving information about the trip.
• He's always going off around the world on business trips, leaving his wife to cope with the babies by herself.
• break-journey
• circumnavigation

trip noun ( FALL )

• collapse under someone's/something's weight
• collapse/fall in a heap idiom
• drop like flies idiom
• knock someone over
• let go idiom
• overbalance
• parachutist
• trip (someone) up

trip noun ( EXPERIENCE )

• abstinence-only
• altered state of consciousness
• magic mushroom
• solvent abuse

trip verb ( LOSE BALANCE )

• fall She slipped and fell.
• drop Several apples dropped from the tree.
• collapse Several buildings collapsed in the earthquake.
• crumple He fainted and crumpled into a heap on the floor.
• tumble A huge rock tumbled down the mountain.
• plunge Four of the mountaineers plunged to their deaths when their ropes broke.
• The bowler tripped as he was delivering the ball .
• She tripped and fell over.
• I tripped as I got off the bus .
• She tripped over the rug .
• I tripped on a piece of wire that someone had stretched across the path .

trip verb ( MOVE )

• bowl down/along something
• make a dash for something
• make good time idiom
• make haste idiom

trip verb ( SWITCH )

• anti-static
• capacitance
• electricity
• high-voltage
• non-electric
• non-electrical
• non-electronic
• solid-state
• transistorized

trip verb ( EXPERIENCE )

Phrasal verb, trip | american dictionary, trip noun [c] ( travel ), trip noun [c] ( experience ), trip verb [i/t] ( lose balance ), trip | business english, examples of trip, collocations with trip.

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• trip (JOURNEY)
• trip (FALL)
• trip (EXPERIENCE)
• guilt/power/ego trip
• trip (LOSE BALANCE)
• trip (MOVE)
• trip (SWITCH)
• trip (TRAVEL)
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Planning a Successful Trip to Origin

Our tried-and-true recommendations for planning a successful coffee origin trip

We’re two months into 2023, and we expect to see an increase in coffee origin trips this year now that COVID is no longer impacting the majority of travel. Our team members have been traveling a fair amount the last six months, and we recently have welcomed some partners to our Addis Ababa office to cup samples from the 2022/2023 Ethiopia coffee harvest. Joanne (Head of Procurement) will travel to Ethiopia next week to support the local team with selection and approval of pre-shipment samples (PSS).

That said, we thought it would be a good time to dive into the topic a bit deeper.

Coffee origin trips (or tours) are guided trips coffee buyers (importers and/or roasters) take to coffee producing regions. We travel to each origin several times a year, and love traveling with our partners and customers. Below, we'll relay a lot of key “good-to-know” information (based off our knowledge and some FAQs from our partners) to help you plan a successful trip to origin in the coming year(s). It’s important to make sure you discuss your specific needs with your Tropiq travel companion(s) and/or host, so we can help you plan well in advance to make sure you get the most out of your trip.

Why should I plan a trip to origin?

• Coffee origin trips allow you to develop a more complete understanding of the coffee value chain by learning firsthand about cultivation and processing (more specifically: production, post-harvest processing, and the journey to market). Producers can also get insight into the roasting and consumption components, creating a deeper connection to where and to whom their coffee goes.
• You’re able to gain a deeper understanding of the culture, politics, and economics of the coffee origin (and how these affect or are correlated with coffee trade).
• It’s an opportunity to meet and build lasting relationships with coffee producers , and be part of maintaining a proper feedback loop.
• Meeting and connecting with the people behind the coffee you import or roast allows you to develop a deeper, more cultural connection to the coffees you buy . In turn, it allows coffee producers to develop relationships with coffee roasters and share their knowledge.
• If you’re already buying coffee from the respective origin, you can  better understand where your money goes  and how it factors into coffee farming, washing station processing, coffee export, and the livelihoods of those involved.
• You can capture photos/videos and gather stories and information for your marketing materials. It’s important to make sure to examine the content you use and the stories you tell in your marketing—find a narrative balance for authenticity whilst avoiding crossing the line into exploitation for profit. It's good to ask yourself whether the photos and stories are empowering or infantilising producers.

"Learning about the specifics of production, post-harvest processing, the journey to market, and the politics of each coffee origin country is invaluable. You'll be able to gain a much better understanding of the culture and people, with the added bonus of experiencing amazing food, dancing, and beauty of the landscape." – Joanne, Head of Procurement

When should I travel?

To visit the farms, producers, and washing stations in the southern regions during harvest, you should plan for the last week of November until the end of December.

If you’d like to visit our office/lab in Addis Ababa to cup coffee samples for purchasing purposes, you should plan to visit January/February for the washed coffees and End of Feb/Mar for the natural coffees.

Kenya timelines are the same as Ethiopia (which is why we recommend combining your trips). Plan on visiting sometime within November to December to travel to farms, meet producers, and visit washing stations. For cupping purposes, you should visit sometime within January to March.

In Uganda, we recommend going during the harvest period—not many people are well-versed in how production and harvest work in Uganda, so it's quite interesting to witness and there's quite a bit to learn during this period. The main crop is generally (there are differences depending on altitude—our team can provide more guidance) harvested and processed from September to November, and cupping for this crop usually occurs from December to January. The fly crop generally sees harvest and production from May to June, with cupping happening in July.

When to visit Colombia depends on what region you're planing to buy from. If you're looking to buy coffees from the north (Antioquia), plan on being there sometime within October to November for production and around January for cupping. If you're looking to buy coffees from Huila, it somewhat varies (especially within the last couple of years). Production is ongoing, but traditionally coffees are available to cup from April until May.

Peru timelines are also dependent on altitude, with lower-altitude harvests coming before that of higher altitudes. Generally, you can plan a visit sometime from May to July for harvest and production and sometime from August to November for cupping. August is a good month to visit, as you can catch the backend of production while being there for early cupping.

You should plan on visiting Brazil sometime from June to August for harvest and production, and sometime from October to November for cupping.

What are some "must-do" things to consider?

• Confirm your flight number, arrival date, and arrival time with the Tropiq country manager/companion.
• Communicate any health or dietary limitations/requirements beforehand.
• Immediately alert the country manager/travel companion if you feel unwell at any point during your trip.
• Inform the country manager/companion if you—for some reason—decide not to attend any of the scheduled events.

During your trip, there are key things to do, look out for, and ask (whether it's from our team, or from production partners, farmers, etc.).

• Take a lot of pictures and videos, but remember privacy rules also apply. Always get consent before taking someone's photo. In the field, not all like to be captured and this should be respected. Many also have never seen a picture of themselves, so (if they consent to a photo) share it by showing it to them after (and also ask them if it's ok/if they're happy with it). It's also nice to explain to people why you're asking to take a picture—especially if you plan to use it to market the sales of their coffee on your platforms. It's polite to always give people context.
• Ask about any data or information you require for marketing purposes—have conversations to better understand the stories and narratives around the coffees you buy/sell.
• Ask about how post-harvest processing works.
• Ask questions about the specific season—what is unique or challenging this year?
• Ask about internal pricing structure/structures for buying and selling coffee (pricing/costs/etc.).
• Ask about the current politics and economics of the country and how these interact with coffee production and trade.

Who books what and what are the costs to consider?

• Depending on scheduling, you will book your flights and possibly your first night’s stay in Addis Ababa. If it is your first time visiting, our team can pick you up from the airport and take you to your hotel. Note that the team can extend corporate rates in Addis Ababa.
• You will cover your flights, Addis Ababa hotel stay, and possibly a hotel stay in Hawassa or Dilla.
• As a daily estimate, we recommend to plan for $30–50 USD to cover lunch/dinner, taxis, etc.
• We will take care of transportation (V8 Toyota Land Cruiser) and food whilst on the road.
• You will book accommodation on your own behalf from a list of hotels we suggest.
• You'll also cover all flights, meals, and transport (we can help you with recommendations).
• Kenya can be a bit more expensive, so we recommend to plan for around $50–80 USD as a daily rate.
• You'll take more internal flights than other countries, so we'll advise you on which flights to book.
• Plan for around $30–50 USD as a daily rate.
• Brazil can also be a bit more on the expensive side, so we recommend to plan for around $50–80 USD as a daily rate.

What do I need to prepare?

• Generally, you will need a valid visa and a valid travel document to enter foreign countries. For example, visitors to Ethiopia must obtain a visa from the official Ethiopian e-visa platform or from their nearest Ethiopian Embassy before travelling. Check the embassy or government sites for each country you plan to visit.
• Be aware of your insurance coverage—make sure it covers travel, and if not, book separate travel coverage for the duration of your trip. Also make sure your travel insurance has medical coverage (not just luggage, cancelled flights, etc.) and that it covers travel to the specific country—some companies won't cover travel to certain developing nations or areas where there may be unrest.
• Make sure to be up-to-date on all routine vaccines before every trip. Check with your local doctor or government organizations (e.g. CDC for those in the USA) regarding recommended vaccinations and medications before traveling to all coffee origin countries —often, it varies depending on which regions you’ll be visiting.
• Most countries have lifted their entry requirements for COVID-19. You can find out more from government websites or airline travel pages.

What are the most important items to remember to pack?

• Imodium, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen
• Mosquito repellent
• Light, waterproof rain jacket
• Wool socks and good shoes for walking (we recommend a rugged boot)
• Warm clothes for cold evenings
• Sunscreen 50+

How can I ensure phone service while traveling?

• In most countries, you can get a local SIM in the airport when you arrive. When you get there, look for an office/kiosk within (or right outside) the airport—you can purchase and have it activated immediately. Airports have vetting processes, so you can feel a bit more secure purchasing here versus on the street.
• Joanne recommends checking out Airalo for a local eSIM. You can use her referral link for a discount.
• Each country might have an option, as well—contact the Tropiq Country Manager or a member of our team for guidance. For example, Ethiopia's state-owned telecom operator (Ethio-Telecom) introduced embedded SIM (eSIM) service provisioning as a premium service. Ethio Telcom announced that anyone can subscribe to the eSIM by having mobile devices that support the service.

It’s important to note that our coffee origins are all developing world countries with different standards of safety, varying degrees of infrastructure, and diverse cultural norms. If you're concerned about your comfort or security on these trips, please reach out to Morten (Founder) , Joanne (Tropiq Head of Procurement) , or Adham (Tropiq Ethiopia Country Manager). We will do everything we can to facilitate safe and relaxed travels. It's also important to note that this information is not exhaustive—these are just our tried-and-true tips and recommendations. While we're not able to take responsibility for your actions/events that may occur on your trip, we never recommend trips if we have heightened concerns about safety/security.

*pictured: Joanne Berry, Juan "Enki" Suarez, and Luzgardo Fernandez in Peru

Courtney Smith

Courtney has 10+ years of experience in creating, building, and scaling strategies, brands, and content.

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Origin Update: Brazil

Origin Update: Peru

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Watch | Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams dances on arrival at space station on her 3rd trip

The expedition 71 crew welcomed williams and wilmore aboard the international space station after the starliner docked at approximately 11:04 pm (ist) on friday, about 26 hours after launching from cape canaveral space force station..

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams broke into an impromptu dance as she entered the International Space Station (ISS), and received the 'Bell Rings' welcome alongside her colleague Butch Wilmore as per a tradition of the US Navy .

Williams, who has earlier carried an idol of Lord Ganesh and the Bhagavad Gita to space, performed a little dance this time to celebrate her arrival at the space station and hugged the seven other astronauts aboard the ISS.

Williams, 58, embarked on her third space mission on Wednesday with Wilmore, 61, making history as the first crew members aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. She serves as the pilot for the flight test, while Wilmore is the mission commander. Williams, who received her commission as an Ensign in the United States Navy from the United States Naval Academy in May 1987, was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1998.

NASA shared a video of the moment on social media, showing Williams entering the ISS docking area to loud applause from her Expedition 71 colleagues, as one of them rang a metal bell, a sound that echoed above the celebratory cheers. Wearing blue overalls with her long hair floating around her smiling face in the zero-gravity environment, the Indian-origin astronaut broke into a twist-like dance step upon emerging from the docking tunnel.

Hugs all around! The Expedition 71 crew greets Butch Wilmore and @Astro_Suni aboard @Space_Station after #Starliner docked at 1:34 p.m. ET on June 6. pic.twitter.com/wQZAYy2LGH — Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) June 6, 2024

The Expedition 71 crew welcomed Williams and Wilmore aboard the ISS after the Starliner docked at approximately 11:04 pm (IST) on Friday, about 26 hours after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, according to a statement from NASA.

Following the US Naval tradition, the crew rang the ship's bell to announce the presence of important persons as Williams entered. "As part of @USNavy tradition for captains boarding a ship @NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore and @Astro_Suni each received bell rings as they came aboard @Space_Station," NASA posted on X.

Despite having two previous space missions under her belt (Expeditions 14/15 in 2006 and 32/33 in 2012), Williams's three-second celebratory dance drew widespread cheers from the crew. She then hugged the crew members as Wilmore entered to loud cheers and bell rings.

The seven crew members — Oleg Kononenko (Russia), Alexander Grebenkin (Russia), Tracy C Dyson (USA), Mike Barratt (USA), Nikolai Chub (Russia), Jeanette Epps (USA), and Matthew Dominick (USA) — gathered with the two Crew Flight Test members for a team portrait aboard the space station.

Williams expressed her gratitude to family and friends for their support leading up to the launch. "We have another family up here, which is just awesome," Williams said, and added, "And we're just happy as can be to be up in space, one in Starliner on an Atlas V, and then here at the International Space Station. It just doesn't get much better."

US Vice President Kamala Harris praised Williams and Wilmore, saying they represent "America's leadership into the cosmos." As the Starliner took off, she posted on X: "Starliner is on its way — congratulations to the team. Today's launch marks an important milestone for the future of human spaceflight. Butch and Suni, you represent America's leadership into the cosmos and make us proud. Safe travels on your mission."

After spending about a week in orbit, Wilmore and Williams will board the Starliner and return home.

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San Antonio to Salado: 5 cool history day trips that won't take you too far from Austin

When you fantasize about summertime day trips in Central Texas, dreams likely transport you to pools, lakes and swimming holes. Places to cool off.

There's another kind of day trip that can tickle the mind while soothing the body, if you know how do it right.

Of the dozens of day trip destinations within fairly easy reach of Austin, we picked these five historic spots to get your motors started.

Monument Hill in La Grange

(Round-trip drive time: 2 hours)

Perhaps you've noticed this high point while driving past La Grange on Texas 71. To the south rises a hill above the Colorado River that stands out like no other. Head there.

A Texas State Historic Site, elegiac Monument Hill is shaded by trees that are, at times, monuments in themselves.

The first order of business, then, might be a refreshing repast taken at one of the many discreetly spaced picnic tables. For my last visit, I picked up an enormous "Back Porch Sandwich" from  Back Porch BBQ , located at the crossroads of Texas 71 and U.S. 77.

One can find plenty of history and nature in this park. Recognized as a meditative spot early on, it was selected in 1848 as a cemetery for the Texans who died in the Dawson Massacre (1842), along with the dead of the Texan Santa Fe (1841) and Mier (1842) expeditions, and those captured during Gen. Adrián Woll's raid on San Antonio (1842).

You see, the 1840s was an unsettled decade for the new republic, as Mexico and Texas asserted their territorial claims without engaging in decisive battles. A soaring art-deco slab, decorated with some low-relief figures, was added to the renovated tomb for the dead of these conflicts in 1936 during the Texas Centennial.

More: Texas History: Spelling out life on an 1800s Texas plantation

To find out how the disputes were settled during the Mexican American War in the late 1840s, visit the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum for its current exhibit on the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo .

The hill hides some other historical treasures: A few dozen yards away, one finds the solidly built Kreische House, furnished and decorated with pieces that reflect how its residents lived during the mid-19th century.

In a low spot below the house sits the extensive remains of the Kreische Brewery, which can be seen from an elevated viewing point or fairly close-up, although with restrictions. (414 Texas 92 Spur, La Grange, thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/monument-hill )

Courthouse Square in Mason

(Round-trip drive time: 4 hours)

Mason is one of those Hill Country towns that has — so far — not been spoiled by overly curious tourists. The round-trip drive time — to and from this county seat — is longer than the other excursions recommended here, but the route through the rugged countryside is a treat in itself.

The chief magnet these days is the Mason County Courthouse , completely rebuilt in 2023 after an arsonist set the structure afire in 2021. For me, one of the reporting thrills of the past few years was to watch as a new dome was hoisted atop the courthouse, while practically the whole town cheered on all four sides of the long square, many of them protected from the elements by the generous shade structures positioned in front of older buildings.

More: Texas history: Loading up on the state’s past in the Hill Country town of Mason

This is not the only courthouse Mason County lost in a fire. The first, which stood on the northeast side of the courthouse grounds, also burned down.

"The first one burned on Jan. 21, 1877, during the Hoodoo War," said local historian Fran Hoerster in 2023. The extended conflict, sometimes called the Mason County War, was really a series of feuds and lynchings related to cattle rustling that sometimes pitted German Americans against Anglo Americans. "People rushed in to grab the land records. Got most of them. But we lost brand records, marriage records, probate records. We had to start all over again," Hoerster said.

"There was a second courthouse somewhere over there (pointing toward the western side of the courthouse grounds), but we don't know exactly where, from 1879 to 1909. It was torn down. This one was finished in 1910."

Mason supports two historical museums, one on the square, which displays one of the county's famous topazes. Another is a magnificent old rock schoolhouse; a pre-Civil War fort; a fine modern library with a permanent exhibit on  "Old Yeller" author Fred Gipson , a local; and a good deal of art.

There's plenty to eat and drink around the courthouse square. If you get a chance, visit the ornate Seaquist House; check for tour times and dates in advance.

Main Street in Bastrop

(Round-trip drive time: 1 hour)

Bastrop is not just an Austin suburb. That's a relatively recent role for this town that is older than Austin and fell a just few votes short of becoming the capital of Texas.

Not long ago, I explored the historic districts alongside Ken Kesselus, a Bastrop native, former mayor, retired Episcopalian pastor and community historian. Among the places we visited were Bastrop County African American Cultural Center, Bastrop Casino (an old German gathering place) and Calvary Episcopal Church.

More: Elgin bound: There's more than barbecue and bricks in this Texas town

The Museum and Visitors Center of the Bastrop County Historical Society (904 Main St.) is a good place to start. I wrote this about the excellent small museum: "Each display is clear, properly lighted and historically accurate, as far as I could surmise. Among others, two excellent exhibits cover the local coal industry, which I knew almost nothing about, and the cotton boom, which includes a map of the county's freedom colonies, with background about slavery and emancipation."

Kesselus and I shared a meal on the town's historic Main Street, which comes alive, especially on weekends in fair weather, and many buildings offer awnings or other shade devices. Several  newcomers have opened shops and restaurants  along this main stem. We lunched al fresco at Paw-Paw's Catfish House, which serves a fried, breaded catfish that is light as air and tender as a mother's love.

Stagecoach Inn in Salado

If you grew up in Texas, you remember this old landmark, now situated along Interstate 35 north of Austin, as an inn and eatery suspended in amber. For decades, nothing changed. Recently, it has undergone a series of improvements that make it 1) a luxury resort of sorts, 2) a gateway to the revived Salado arts and crafts district, 3) an even more authentic expression, to me, of its ancient origins.

More: 'Destination' hotel coming to historic strip of Fredericksburg, a Texas daytrip hotspot

I wrote this recently about the place: "Part of the existing complex above Salado Creek goes back to the 1860s, when it was a true stagecoach stop known as the Shady Villa Hotel. Its restaurant was founded in the 1940s and was known for its unchanging menu and staff. A nearby modernist motel rose next to the interregional highway during the 1950s; it, too, seemed trapped in amber. The next layer was laid down during the past decade: a  winningly reinvented restaurant  and a luxury hotel complex that tempts one to stay the night."

Note that the restaurant, which is surrounded by cooling greenery, has gone through a series of temporary name changes, but it will always be the Stagecoach Inn.

Pearl District in San Antonio

(Round-trip drive time: 3 hours)

I know, I know, Interstate 35. How do you get around that monster of a freeway that becomes a psychological barrier to visiting the other half of our quickly merging "mega-metro"? If you leave early on a weekend morning, at least the trip to SA is less stressful.

Once there, many of the historical attractions are readily at hand. One cluster of attractions downtown includes the Alamo campus, including the new Ralston Family Collections Center, the main plaza, with the San Fernando Cathedral and the Governor's Palace, along with, of course, the magical Riverwalk and its several historical destinations.

Another San Antonio historical jaunt requires a car in the summer, unless you were recently trained by the French Foreign Legion (see the 1999 movie "Beau Travail"): The Mission Trail south of downtown, which includes the other four 18th-century Spanish church complexes, each with its own discrete history. If you don't do it this time, do it later.

More: Meet me in San Austin: It's time to explore the idea of an Austin-San Antonio 'mega-metro'

To fully combine history and refreshment, perhaps head north of downtown to the Pearl District .

The centerpiece of the Pearl District these days is the luxury Hotel Emma embedded in the1894 building that once housed the San Antonio Brewers Association, which produced Pearl Beer. Opened in 2015, the hotel includes an elaborate lobby bar filled with elements of the structure's former industrial role, as well as carefully selected local eateries on the ground level. (Try any of them!)

Bundled around the plaza are an indoor food market, a thriving bookstore, new condos, a music venue situated in a round building that once served as a stable, a riverside amphitheater, and several more restaurants, one of them associated with the San Antonio base of the Culinary Institute of America.

Still sweating? Duck into one of these oases for a long siesta, or stroll down the extended Riverwalk to the old Lone Star brewery that became, in 1981, the stunning — and air-conditioned — San Antonio Museum of Art.

Exploring history and wildlife on the UK’s storied coastal paths

From jagged cliffs rising out of the sea to sandy coves and quaint fishing villages, the UK's coastline has some incredible walking trails. Here are five of the best locations.

The UK has just over 11,000 miles of coastline, encompassing UNESCO World Heritage sites, dinosaur fossils, surfing beaches, pirate coves and cliffs. For now, walkers cannot officially walk the entire periphery; there's no continuous trail and some stretches are off-limits, but there are some fine stretches to get a handle on this island nation. From a route which encompasses some of the best-preserved Neolithic ruins in Europe to an island-hopping adventure across the Isles of Scilly, here’s a selection of some of the most dramatic coastal trails as recommended by walking experts HF Holidays .  

1. Meirionnydd Coast, North Wales  

Which is more astonishing — that around 200 different types of shell comprise the substrate on Wales’s Shell Island, or that someone took the time to count them? Either way, also known as Mochras is a beauty to behold, with its diverse detritus and specklings of wildflowers. Mochras is one of the many attractions that dot the miles of broad, sandy beaches uniquely set against the mountainous backdrop of Eryri National Park (formerly Snowdonia).

To explore the area, embark on this epic eight-day adventure , which starts at Penrhyndeudraeth and trails south across sand dunes, fishing villages and estuarine habitats towards the Dyfi Valley. Harlech Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed medieval fortification, is a particular highlight along this coastal trail — dedicate one to two hours to walk the walls and learn about its illustrious history at the on-site exhibition. On free days, walkers may choose to explore the opulent Italianate village of Portmeirion and the subterranean chambers of Llechwedd Slate Caverns.

2. Orkney & Shetland, Scotland  

Abundant wildlife, maritime heritage, unique culture and local crafts — you can expect all of this and more on Orkney and Shetland, two of Scotland’s northernmost archipelagos. Providing stepping stones to Northern Europe, these isles have helped to elucidate early migration patterns on the continent — the Shetland site of Jarlshof stands testament to that, where 4,000-year-old discoveries include Bronze and Stone Age settlements, Norse longhouses and medieval smallholdings. Orkney, meanwhile, is home to one of Europe’s most significant prehistoric settlements, the UNESCO-listed Heart of Neolithic Orkney, with its 5,000-year-old ceremonial stone circles, chambered tombs, communal living quarters and sacred burial sites.

Experience the best of both isles on this eight-day adventure , which includes Marwick, Orkney and Muckle Roe, Shetland. The nine-mile clifftop coastal path from Marwick Bay to the Brough of Birsay is a particular highlight for wildlife lovers, as it overlooks RSPB Marwick Head Nature Reserve. Here, keen twitchers may spot gulls and skuas patrolling the skies, while grey and common seals bob in the waters below. The walk is followed with a visit to explore the mysterious Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness, which, together with Skara Brae and Maes How, form the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.

3. North Cornwall, Southwest England

The lives of the Cornish people have always been inextricably linked to the sea. As such, coastal walks here offer the chance to get up close to the county’s storied, industrial mining heritage. These relics of Cornwall’s past have become county emblems — particularly along the rugged northern coast covered on this eight-day adventure . Starting at the sandy, surfing beach of Treyarnon Bay near Padstow and ending at Cape Cornwall, just four miles north of Land's End, this coastal trail offers all the classic sights of the Cornish coastline, including quiet coves, traditional fishing villages and a mosaic of rare coastal habitats, including saltmarshes, sand dunes and even Atlantic temperate rainforest.  

Along the route, look out for the early 20 th -century tin mines of Geevor and the   19 th -century tin mine Botallack, the latter of which was made famous by BBC’s Poldark   series. It’s worth keeping an eye on the blue horizon, too, where fin, minke and humpback whales may be spotted in ever-increasing numbers.  

4. Somerset & North Devon, Southwest England

Stretching a mammoth 630 miles through Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, the South West Coastal Path is the UK’s longest national trail and perhaps one of the most picturesque of all, encompassing wild countryside, sweeping seafront panoramas, pretty ports and historic county towns.

Tackle a portion of the epic coastal trail on this eight-day adventure , which begins at the quaint seaside resort of Minehead in Somerset and ends at the secluded sands of Croyde Bay in northern Devon. Porlock Weir, a bustling harbour village surrounded by steep wooded slopes, verdant farmland and heather-covered moorlands, is a particular highlight along the trail. Walkers will also enjoy visiting Lynton and Lynmouth, two sister villages dubbed ‘the Switzerland of England’ due to their distinct Alpine appearance. They also provide the gateway to Devon’s Valley of the Rocks, a dramatic dry valley known for its rugged, prehistoric landscape and spectacular views of the Bristol Channel.

5. Isles of Scilly, Southwest England

With its white-powder-sand beaches and sparkling sapphire waters, the Isles of Scilly are often touted as Britain’s somewhat chillier answer to the Caribbean coast. So remote is this archipelago, lying 28 miles off the southwest coast of mainland Cornwall, that little has left its mark: only five islands are inhabited, while the other 140 provide a haven for seabirds and other wildlife.

Drink it all in by hopping between the islands on this seven-day adventure , which traverses the archipelago via a series of dramatic coastal trails. Here, walkers can discover peaceful, secluded bays on Bryher, breathtaking landscapes dotted with wildflowers and archaeological ruins on St Agnes and St Martin’s, and wild heathland, rocky coastlines and 16th and 17th century castles on Tresco. The latter is also home to Abbey Garden, a botanical paradise with more than 3,000 species of plants and trees, and Valhalla museum, which houses figureheads salvaged from shipwrecks from around the islands' shores.  

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• WALKING TOURS

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