{"id":9280,"date":"2022-06-29T15:52:37","date_gmt":"2022-06-29T19:52:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=9280"},"modified":"2022-06-29T16:21:48","modified_gmt":"2022-06-29T20:21:48","slug":"lai-rockets-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/lai-rockets-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Origin\u2019s Gary Lai \u201995 Rockets to (Suborbital) Space"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">The recent mission gave the CALS alum a thrilling ride\u2014in the capsule he helped design<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Joe Wilensky<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">When Gary Lai \u201995 boarded Blue Origin\u2019s rocket in late March, he was prepared to experience the flight from the perspective of an engineer; after all, he\u2019d designed part of the spacecraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lai is the chief architect and team leader of the aerospace company\u2019s reusable rocket-and-capsule system, dubbed New Shepard, developed to carry passengers and payloads to suborbital space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The flight was the company\u2019s fourth with humans on board, and its 20th overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Gary Lai exits the Blue Origin capsule following its successful suborbital flight March 31\" class=\"wp-image-9232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/NS20-L-0-KW1_9454-A-100x56.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Exiting the capsule after touchdown. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI approached it thinking that I would be very observant,\u201d Lai recalls. \u201cI\u2019d be looking at all the features, trying to see, \u2018Is this what we intended?\u2019 That was my plan, and that\u2019s how it worked out\u2014until they started the rocket engine. That\u2019s when I ceased to really think at all, because it was unlike anything I\u2019d ever experienced. I was completely overwhelmed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Founded in 2000 by Amazon\u2019s Jeff Bezos, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blueorigin.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blue Origin<\/a> aims to further human spaceflight by developing more affordable and reusable launch vehicles. Lai, who joined the company in 2004, was among its first 20 employees (there are now more than 6,000). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignwide is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Video: Gary Lai \u201995 flies to suborbital space\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nTc-ansQESY?feature=oembed&#038;controls=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The rise of Blue Origin\u2014and of Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX and Richard Branson\u2019s Virgin Galactic\u2014has marked an evolution in the aerospace industry, once geared toward single-use rockets designed by Cold War-era companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the past couple of decades, the industry has shifted toward reusable technology, often created by startups\u2014companies that not only contract with NASA for satellite launches and other functions that the agency traditionally conducted itself, but which are opening up the field of space tourism by offering seats to paying customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-style-offset\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"The six-member crew checks out the New Shepard capsule as part of the several days of preflight training\" class=\"wp-image-9230 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-astronauttraining_daytwo_01uncropped-B.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><figcaption>The crew checks out the capsule during preflight training.<\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>The New Shepard flights, which carry six passengers and last about 11 minutes, cross the boundary of suborbital space\u2014defined as just over 100 kilometers (about 330,000 feet, or 62 miles) in altitude\u2014and feature several minutes of weightlessness and remarkable views of the curvature of the Earth against the blackness beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bezos himself flew on New Shepard\u2019s first crewed mission in July 2021; three months later, \u201cStar Trek\u201d legend William Shatner famously followed suit\u2014becoming, at age 90, the oldest person to fly to space. And like TV\u2019s Captain Kirk, Lai found himself unexpectedly moved by the brief voyage. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI really didn\u2019t have an intelligent thought in my head until after we landed,\u201d Lai says, noting that he felt the so-called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/johnson\/HWHAP\/the-overview-effect\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">overview effect<\/a>\u201d reported by many astronauts upon seeing Earth from space. \u201cIt was deeply imprinted on me. I can still recall every second, and I find myself daydreaming and reliving the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>I really didn\u2019t have an intelligent thought in my head until after we landed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Prior to liftoff, Lai and his fellow passengers had spent several days training\u2014going through simulations and emergency procedures until they\u2019d practiced the entire mission more than 20 times. But nothing could have prepared him for the actual flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are the physical sensations of a rocket launch: you\u2019ve got the noise, which is deafening; the acceleration is very high; the vehicle is rolling and turning, and the window on the capsule is so large that when you turn your head to look out of it, there\u2019s nothing else in your periphery,\u201d he recalls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThen the vehicle throttles back, like from 3 Gs to zero. You feel like you\u2019re flying forward, the blood rushes to your head\u2014and then you\u2019re floating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Gary Lai and other crew members enjoy weightlessness during the suborbital flight\" class=\"wp-image-9228\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20_apogee_passport_stamp-A-100x56.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Lai (upside down at left) experiences weightlessness.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A native of the New York metro area, Lai matriculated on the Hill with plans to major in astronomy. But given the decade-long path to a PhD and a career in the field, he switched to agribusiness management in CALS, with an eye toward investment banking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, in his senior year, he took a multidisciplinary seminar on critical thinking taught by one of his childhood heroes: astronomer Carl Sagan, in his final semester of teaching (he would pass away in December 1996). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It reignited Lai\u2019s scientific passion, and he set his sights on becoming an engineer in the field of space exploration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"The Blue Origin New Shepard capsule parachutes to a soft landing following the suborbital flight\" class=\"wp-image-9231\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/ns20-l-0-cclanding_02-A-100x56.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>The capsule parachutes to a soft landing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>After graduation, Lai headed to the University of Washington (accompanying future wife Natalya Yudkovsky \u201996, who was pursuing a PhD in cell biology), where he earned a second bachelor\u2019s degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He later landed an internship with Kistler Aerospace, one of the first startups working on reusable rocket technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Blue Origin, Lai\u2014who holds three patents in space systems technology\u2014has had several roles, including senior director of design engineering and lead systems engineer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Numerous other Cornellians work there, such as astronomy professor emeritus <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cornell.edu\/stories\/2019\/09\/planetary-scientist-steve-squyres-retire-cornell\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steve Squyres \u201978, PhD \u201981<\/a>\u2014a leader on NASA\u2019s Mars rover project who joined at the company in 2019 as chief scientist\u2014and Sarah Phelps \u201999, director of astronaut experience.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Following the March flight and successful landing, Lai was met by his wife, Natalya Yudkovsky \u201996, right, to display a Cornell flag\" class=\"wp-image-9227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/image001-A-100x56.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Lai&#8217;s wife, Natalya Yudkovsky \u201996 (right), joined him for a celebratory moment after the flight.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In early June, Blue Origin conducted its 21st successful launch and fifth crewed flight, and it continues to develop components for a much larger reusable launch system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dubbed New Glenn in honor of the legendary astronaut, the system is aimed to carry an orbital space vehicle, deliver large payloads into orbit\u2014and, ultimately, enable the next generation of missions to the Moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Top: Video by No\u00ebl Heaney \/ Cornell University. Footage and all photos in this story provided by Blue Origin<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Published June 29, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator aligncenter\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The recent mission gave the CALS alum a thrilling ride\u2014in the capsule he helped design<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":9232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[507,509,515],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-9280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","cornell_year_post-507","cornell_year_post-509","cornell_year_post-515"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Blue Origin\u2019s Gary Lai \u201995 Rockets to (Suborbital) Space - 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