Subscriptions to change.org are not legally binding and often do not result in any actual action. On the other hand, they are a curious barometer of public opinion. One of the most active petitions on the site in the last week is related to Jeff Bezos and his upcoming space flight.
In just 10 days, more than 42,000 people have signed the petition entitled “Don’t Let Jeff Bezos Return to Earth.”
“Billionaires don’t have to exist … on Earth or in space. But if they decide to go to the last one, they have to stay there“, reads the description of the subscription. Every minute the number of people asked Bezos to stay outside our planet is increasing.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his brother will fly into space next month with the first space flight of his company Blue Origin, the billionaire was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“I have been dreaming of traveling in space since I was five years old. On July 20, I will embark on this journey with my brother“Bezos wrote on Instagram. They will be accompanied by an anonymous rich man who paid $ 28 million for the opportunity to spend a few minutes in space with the creator of Amazon.
The flight will take place on the suborbital spacecraft New Shepard, which can spend several minutes at an altitude of 100 kilometers.
The capsule is designed to accommodate up to six passengers. It can travel the distance to the conditional boundary between the Earth’s atmosphere and outer space, also known as the Karman line.
The prospective passenger will have to be at least 18 years old, of average height and weighing between 50 and 100 kilograms, according to the terms of Blue Origin. The company guarantees the safety of the venture, stating that 15 successful consecutive tests of New Shepard have already been conducted, and the capsule is reusable.
New Shepard can make short suborbital flights, but more than a day in orbit would result in certain death in the capsule.
Despite his vast wealth, interest in space, and charity, Bezos has many enemies because of his attitude toward Amazon workers.
While he is the richest man in the world, the workers in his company receive close to the minimum wage and even have to urinate in bottlesto stick to their schedules. Surveillance of robots and dangerous working conditions in the company’s warehouses are also among the common complaints from Amazon. Bezos is also disliked by some conservationists because of photos of him eating iguanas and other exotic animal species.
Jeff Bezos accepts award, eats iguana at Explorers Club gala https://t.co/ZNaUYT4Iwo pic.twitter.com/3WiX5AkezJ
— Bloomberg (@business) March 12, 2018
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