Blue Origin Announces Crew for NS-32 Mission: Six Space Explorers, Including Teacher and Entrepreneur, Set to Soar
Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos, has announced the crew for its upcoming NS-32 mission. This marks the 12th human flight for the New Shepard program and the 32nd mission overall. Get ready for liftoff as six individuals prepare to embark on a journey beyond Earth's atmosphere, representing diverse backgrounds and inspiring stories.
The crew includes Aymette Medina Jorge, a STEM teacher from Galveston, Texas, Dr. Gretchen Green, Jaime Alemán, Jesse Williams, Mark Rocket, and Paul Jeris. Each member brings a unique perspective and passion for exploration.
Aymette (Amy) Medina Jorge, a high school and middle school STEM teacher at Odyssey Academy in Galveston, Texas, stands out as a champion for diversity in STEM. Sponsored by Farmacias Similares, Amy has led numerous space experiments with her students and is the 2023 AIAA and Challenger Center Trailblazing STEM Educator Award recipient. Her mission is clear: to boost Hispanic representation and inclusion in science for underrepresented communities.
"This mission is about inspiring the next generation of explorers," says Jorge, emphasizing the importance of engaging students in STEM fields.
Dr. Gretchen Green, a radiologist specializing in women’s imaging, is a lifelong space enthusiast who attended Space Camp in 1986 and now serves on the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation Board. She is an educator, explorer, and entrepreneur who sees space travel as a way to further inspire others. "I want to show everyone that they can pursue their dreams, no matter how big," Dr. Green stated.
Jaime Alemán, a Panamanian attorney, businessman, and former ambassador to the United States, is on a quest to become the first person to visit all 193 U.N.-recognized countries, the North and South Poles, and space. His adventurous spirit and commitment to global understanding make him a truly unique astronaut.
Jesse Williams, a Canadian entrepreneur and adventurer, is CEO of Car History Group and has summited six of the seven highest peaks on Earth. Mark Rocket, an entrepreneur and technology leader from New Zealand, is CEO of Kea Aerospace and was a seed investor in Rocket Lab. And Paul Jeris, a real estate developer and entrepreneur from Northeast Ohio always an explorer at heart and enjoyed going scuba diving, skydiving and visiting 149 countries, inspired by his NASA engineer father, has been dreaming of space travel since childhood.
Jeris, known as “Put-in-Bay Paul,” shared, “I’m going to bring his NASA badge and Marine Corps badge. It’s like really real. I think of my dad, him growing up reading this, little Parma boy does good.”
The NS-32 mission will provide a brief period of weightlessness, allowing the crew to experience the overview effect—a profound sense of awe and appreciation for Earth's fragility. The experience promises to be transformative, leaving a lasting impact on each crew member.
Blue Origin's New Shepard program has flown 58 humans and over 175 scientific payloads above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. Past astronauts include William Shatner, Michael Strahan, and several other notable figures.
As Blue Origin prepares for the NS-32 mission, anticipation is building for another groundbreaking journey to space. What impact will this experience have on the crew, and how will it inspire the next generation of space explorers? Share your thoughts and predictions in the comments below, and stay tuned for updates on this exciting mission.
