90-year-old Ed Dwight becomes oldest person to go to space

90-year-old Ed Dwight, the United States' first Black astronaut candidate, became the oldest person to go to space on Sunday as Blue Origin launched its New Shepard NS-25 spacecraft and completed its first human flight since 2022.

"It was absolutely terrific," Dwight said after returning to Earth. "I thought I really didn't need this in my life, but now I need it in my life. I am ecstatic. It was a life-changing experience. Everybody needs to do this."

Dwight took his first trip to space more than 60 decades after Pres. John F. Kennedy appointed him in 1961 to the elite Aerospace Research Pilot School — the Air Force program from which NASA astronauts were chosen. Despite being recommended by the Air Force, Dwight was not chosen for the NASA astronaut corps in the aftermath of Kennedy’s assassination.

Actor William Shatner was previously the oldest to fly to space. He was 90 years and 206 days old when he flew on a previous Blue Origin flight on Oct. 13, 2021. Dwight is 90 years and 253 days old as of Sunday's launch.

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