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  Garriott, Bezos, Aldrin to lead Explorers Club

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Author Topic:   Garriott, Bezos, Aldrin to lead Explorers Club
Robert Pearlman
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The Explorers Club release
Richard Garriott to Serve as Explorers Club's 45th President; Jeff Bezos Named as Honorary Chair; Buzz Aldrin Named as Honorary President

Garriott is the first person to orbit the Earth as an astronaut, travel to the deepest part of the ocean at Mariana Trench, and traverse both poles of the Earth

Jeff Bezos to serve as advisor in future of private space and technological exploration

Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon and who completed three space walks, named Honorary President

The Explorers Club, a 117-year-old organization dedicated to the advancement of the exploration of land, sea, air, and space, today announced that Richard Garriott de Cayeux, has been elected as the Club's 45th president. Jeff Bezos, founder of aerospace company Blue Origin and a longtime member of The Explorers Club, has also been named as its Honorary Chairman, and Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, has been named as its Honorary President.

All three men, Garriott, Bezos, and Aldrin, have their exploration roots in outer space. Mr. Garriott, one of the first civilians to travel in space, has now reached the four cardinal "directions" of the earth: orbiting above it aboard the International Space Station, reaching the North Pole and South Pole and recently the deepest point of the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench.

"There have been so many hardships this year, with expeditions being canceled or delayed. Now, with many of us returning into the field, it is humbling to be selected to serve as the next president of the prestigious Explorers Club," said Richard Garriott, President of The Explorers Club. "The pursuit of exploration and the unknown has inspired me since I was a young child. I am happy and excited to lead the Club into the future. Under Richard Wiese's guidance, the Club worked hard to expand our members and to reach new, younger and also more diverse explorers and scientists. We will continue these efforts to attract and empower new and current members who will take exploration into the next generation. I know having Jeff Bezos as our Honorary Chair will help accomplish this goal!"

"We live in an era of dynamism and growth, and it's up to us to pass that along to our grandchildren and their grandchildren," said Jeff Bezos, CEO and Founder of Amazon, and Founder of Blue Origin. "The innovations, discoveries and optimism shared by the members of the Explorers Club are inspiring future generations to solve some of Earth's greatest challenges, and I'm honored to be a part of it."

"I have always loved The Explorers Club and I am thrilled and honored to accept this position," said Buzz Aldrin, Honorary President of The Explorers Club. Aldrin, a former American astronaut and fighter pilot is most well-known for being the lunar module pilot for the Apollo 11 mission and the second man on the moon with mission commander Neil Armstrong. He has made three spacewalks, and in 2016, at the age of 86, he became the oldest person to reach the South Pole.

Jeff Bezos's passion to explore space took root in 1969 when he watched Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the Moon. In 2000, Bezos founded Blue Origin, a company focused on dramatically lowering the cost of accessing space by building a suite of reusable launch vehicles. Blue Origin is currently making regular flights with its New Shepard launch vehicle—which will soon take astronauts to space—and building an orbital vehicle called New Glenn that will take people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond. Blue Origin's vision is a future where millions of people are living and working in space, and the Moon is the next logical step toward building a sustained human presence off Earth. That is why the company is building a lunar lander called Blue Moon that can deliver several metric tons of cargo—or a crew system—to the lunar surface.

Mr. Bezos led a team in 2014 that recovered the F-1 engines from the Saturn V rocket that sent the Apollo 11 astronauts to the Moon, adding to his long-held commitment to the advancement of the next generation of exploration through commercialization of new achievements in space science. As Honorary Chair of The Explorers Club, Mr. Bezos will help further the Club's mission to support exploration by all means. Many new areas of exploration are opening up due to exploration technology advancements in space craft, submarines and remote sensing. Bezos' leadership in these fields will greatly assist explorers in their endeavors.

Mr. Garriott, a lifelong explorer, co-founded Space Adventures, the first company to have arranged space flights for private citizens. The son of a NASA astronaut, he became the first second-generation space traveler and was the sixth private astronaut to live aboard the International Space Station. Today, at The Explorers Club, he mentors and lectures to youngsters and teenagers excited about exploration and entering scientific fields related to exploring extreme environments like space and the deep. First joining as a member of the Club in 1998, Mr. Garriott has served in many capacities over the years, as a Director or Officer for all four presidents preceding him, and most recently, as Vice President for Development overseeing the Club's landmark partnership with Discovery.

Mr. Garriott succeeds Richard Wiese, who completes his third term as president. Mr. Wiese recently steered the Club through the Covid-19 pandemic, launching remote content reaching members and the larger public across the globe. During Mr. Wiese's tenure, the Club successfully rolled out The Explorers Club and Discovery Channel grant program, awarding over $400,000 for cutting-edge scientific research in 2020. The Club also announced the honorees of the inaugural Explorers Club 50 (EC50) program, recognizing 50 people who are changing the world, and initiated efforts to improve diversity among Club membership and recognizing women in exploration 40-years later. The Explorers Club also undertook significant fundraising drives to help modernize The Club's 111-year-old building, home to its archives and collections.

Mr. Aldrin succeeds Bertrand Piccard, M.D., the world-renowned Swiss explorer and environmentalist, the first person to complete a non-stop balloon flight around the Earth, and the first successful round the world flight in a solar-powered aircraft.

About The Explorers Club:

Since its inception in 1904, members of the Club have traversed the earth, the seas, the skies, and even the moon, on expeditions of exploration. First to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mount Everest, first to the deepest point in the ocean and first to the surface of the moon - all accomplished by Explorers Club Members. Notable members include Teddy Roosevelt, Neil Armstrong, Jane Goodall, Edmund Hillary, John Glenn, Sally Ride and Bob Ballard.

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