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By Editorial staff

Journalist


Rich rocketman: Bezos doesn’t measure up to Branson and Shuttleworth

Our own Mark Shuttleworth went, as a “space tourist”, to the International Space Station in 2002 and stayed for 10 days.


While hundreds of millions of people on Planet Earth wondered this week where their next meal was coming from, our richest human inhabitant – Jeff Bezos – gambolled for a few blissful moments in outer space.

Bezos the founder of giant Amazon and the guy accused in the past of not treating some of his staff in the most humane manner missed out, though, on going where no billionaire had ever gone before.

Our own Mark Shuttleworth went, as a “space tourist”, to the International Space Station in 2002. His achievement was, in reality, bigger than that of Bezos, because the South African stayed on the space station in orbit above the Earth for 10 days.

Even the mega self-promoter Richard Branson beat Bezos, travelling earlier this month for a brief visit to the Karman line, the internationally recognised boundary marking the start of space.

Yet, when Bezos touched down again in Texas (where else?) after his 10-minute trip, he was greeted as a returning, conquering hero.No, boet, you are no hero.

What separates you from the rest of us is your wads of cash.A real hero would use that money to help alleviate poverty rather than wallowing in the luxury of the Starship Free Enterprise

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