A month aftertaking a suborbital space trip alongside Star Trek actor William Shatner, medical-technology entrepreneur格伦·德·弗里斯（Glen de Vries）在新泽西州的小型飞机撞车事故中死亡。
New Jersey State Police identified de Vries, 49, as one of two people killed on Thursday when their single-engine Cessna 172 went down in a wooded area shortly after takeoff from Caldwell, N.J. The other fatality was Thomas P. Fisher, 54,NJ.com引用当局说。
De Vries是Medidata Solutions的联合创始人，Medidata Solutions是一家医疗软件公司acquired by Dassault Systemesin 2019 for $5.8 billion.
He bought a ticket for an undisclosed price from Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture to go on the company’s second crewed suborbital spaceflight in October – and trained alongside Shatner as well as Planet Labs co-founder Chris Boshuizen and Blue Origin executive Audrey Powers.
After the flight, de Vries告诉卡内基·梅隆大学的访调员y that he had dreamed of going to space for decades. “I’m excited to be some of the fuel, to use an aviation metaphor, that’s helping this thing take off,” he said.
He said he came back from the trip with a wider perspective on life. “The passage of time, just like the resources on Earth, feels more precious with expanded perspective,” he said in the CMU interview.
Information on the circumstances of Thursday’s crash was not immediately available. NJ.com reported that Fisher was certified as a flight instructor and that de Vries had a student pilot license.
在一个鸣叫，蓝色原籍说，听到de vries的死是“毁灭性的”。
We are devastated to hear of the sudden passing of Glen de Vries. He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and to his fellow crewmates. His passion for aviation, his charitable work, and his dedication to his craft will long be revered and admired.pic.twitter.com/1hwnjnttvs
- 蓝色起源（@blueorigin）2021年11月12日
并在帖子中Instagramand推特贝佐斯说，他和他的女友劳伦·桑切斯（Lauren Sanchez）在新闻中“伤心欲绝”。
“Such a tragic loss,” Bezos wrote. “Warm and full of life, Glen made us laugh and lit up the room. He was a visionary, and an innovator – a true leader.”
这样一个悲剧性的损失。温暖而充满活力,格伦马de us laugh and lit up the room. He was a visionary, and an innovator – a true leader. Lauren and I are heartbroken and will remember the precious time we got to spend together. (1/2)pic.twitter.com/AYKCGIUQfD
- Jeff Bezos（@jeffbezos）2021年11月12日
Update for 1:30 p.m. PT Nov. 15:De Vries’ three crewmates have tweeted tributes as well. “Very saddened to have learned about Glen’s passing,”威廉·沙特纳（William Shatner）写道。以下是Planet Labs的Chris Boshuizen的推文，以及Audrey Powers，Blue Origin的新Shepard Mission和飞行运营副总裁Audrey Powers：
