Jeff Bezos, the richest man on the planet, is preparing for a rocket powered, 11 minute excursion to the edge of space scheduled to kick off tonight after 10pm eastern standard time.
Though the New Shepard capsule can carry up to 6 people, Mr Bezos is bringing just 3 others along on this extraordinary journey. They include his brother Mark Bezos, Wally funk, an 82 year old pilot, one of the Mercury 13 women, and an 18 year old recent high school graduate named Oliver Daemen.
Mr Bezos was supposed to fly alongside a mystery bidder who won a recent Blue Origin auction by agreeing to pay 28 million US dollars for a seat on the flight, but the company announced last week that the person, who asked to remain anonymous for the time being, had to bow out because of "scheduling conflicts."