Jeff Bezos: Everyone who goes to space comes back "changed"
On the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 mission, billionaire Jeff Bezos is looking to the future of space travel. In an interview with "CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell, the founder of the aerospace company Blue Origin shared his vision for expanding space tourism and exploration.
"Space tourism is going to start with a very short kind of 11-minute ride up into space, you'll be above the Karman Line, which is 100 kilometers, 62 miles up. You'll be able to see the thin limb of the Earth's atmosphere and see how fragile this planet really is. Everybody who goes to space says they come back a little changed," Bezos said.
It's a mission that Bezos hopes will inspire others to appreciate Earth.
"They realize how beautiful this planet is and how small and fragile it is, something that we can't see when we're down here. But from up there, it becomes obvious," Bezos said.
He also told O'Donnell that space exploration is more than just a hobby. He said he's invested because it's "important" for our future.
"If we're going to continue to have a dynamic civilization where our grandchildren have better lives than we do and their grandchildren have even better lives, then we need to be sure we're using the resources of space to save this planet," Bezos said.
Watch O'Donnell's interview with Bezos and Kennedy on the "CBS Evening News," Tuesday, July 16, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. CBS News' one-hour special "Man on the Moon," hosted by O'Donnell, airs Tuesday, July 16, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.