Centuries from now, people will be born in space: Jeff Bezos

Bezos noted that even his company's name, 'Blue Origin,' was a nod to the idea of Earth as humanity's origin point, not its final destiny

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos has predicted that space will become humanity's home one day and that people will visit Earth on vacation.

Bezos said that in centuries to come, people will be born in space and live in giant floating cylinders that could house up to a million people and re-create Earth's gravity and environment, with 'rivers, forests and wildlife' and regular Terran weather, Daily Mail reported.

The tech titan said this at the Washington Cathedral as part of the 2021 Ignatius Forum in DC, hosted by Adi Ignatius, editor in chief of Harvard Business Review, this week.

"Over centuries, many people will be born in space, it will be their first home," Bezos said.

"They will be born on these colonies, live on these colonies, then they'll visit Earth the way you would visit, you know, Yellowstone National Park," he said.

Bezos further noted that even his company's name, 'Blue Origin,' was a nod to the idea of Earth as humanity's origin point, not its final destiny.

Previously, Bezos talked up his idea about space habitats, and called them 'O'Neill colonies', after physicist Gerard O'Neill, who theorised other planets might not be the best place to house humans beyond Earth.

AHe said own trip beyond Earth in July was even more transformational than he had imagined.

"The magnitude of that experience was so much bigger than I could have ever anticipated," he told the audience.

"It really is such a change in perspective that shows you in a very powerful and emotional way, just how fragile this Earth is. I wish everyone could have that perspective," he added.

Bezos said his passion for space exploration started when he was 5 years old and Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon.

"I've always had the dream of having a company like Blue Origin to build what I see as the road to space."

Bezos, 57, also confirmed he believed in extraterrestrial life.

"How could there not be? There are so many stars, just in this galaxy. And then so many galaxies," he added.

--IANS

rvt/arm