A couple of thoughts:
- This is a very interesting piece of news cognitively. It is very odd to have a "pre-existing" relationship with somebody, completely separate from space, before they take such a launch. I've had greater admiration for astronauts, but I've only ever known them as astronauts. It is a different experience to suddenly be talking about someone who has a fully-fleshed backstory as an astronaut.
- Talk about eating your own dog food, Amazon style! I really haven't given much thought to BlueOrigin due to SpaceX, but with Bezos literally putting his skin in the game the conversation is now entirely different.
