Blue Origin reveals 18-year-old student is final crew member for 1st flight

Blue Origin announced that an 18-year-old will be the final crew member for its first flight.

Blue Origin revealed Thursday that the fourth member of its first crewed flight will be the youngest person ever to fly to space. Oliver Daemen, 18, will join Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos (Jeff's brother) and 82-year-old Wally Funk on a spaceflight set to launch next Tuesday from west Texas. Funk, a pioneering pilot who dreamed of being an astronaut in the 1960s, will become the oldest person to travel to space. Blue Origin auctioned the final seat on its inaugural crewed flight for a whopping $28 million. In a surprise announcement Thursday, however, the company said the anonymous auction winner will not be able to join the historic spaceflight due to "scheduling conflicts." The bidder, who seeks to remain anonymous, will join a future mission, the company said.