Blue Origin launched its 35th New Shepard suborbital mission this morning (Sept. 18) after a nearly four-week delay.

The uncrewed flight, known as NS-35, lifted off today from Blue Origin's West Texas site at 9:01 a.m. EDT (1301 GMT; 8:01 a.m. local Texas time).

Instead of a crew, the Blue Origin capsule carried more than 40 scientific payloads on its suborbital flight, including 24 payloads from the NASA TechRise Student Challenge, which empowers teams of 6th-12th graders to design, build and launch experiments on NASA supported test flights.

New Shepard consists of a first-stage rocket and a capsule, both of which are reusable. Flights of the vehicle get above the Kármán Line — the widely recognized boundary where space begins, at 62 miles up (100 kilometers) — and last 10 to 12 minutes from liftoff to capsule touchdown.

After a successful launch, the New Shepard booster descended for a safe landing 2 miles downrange of the launch pad about 7.5 minutes after liftoff. The capsule descended under parachutes for a touchdown at T+10:15.

NS-35 was originally supposed to fly on Aug. 23, but Blue Origin stood down from that attempt to work an issue with the booster's avionics. The company tried again on Aug. 26 but scrubbed for the same reason. Today's attempt will be the first since then.

More than 40 scientific payloads will take flight on NS-35, bringing the total number of payloads lofted by New Shepard to date over 200, according to the company.

"The payload manifest includes 24 experiments from NASA's TechRise Student Challenge, along with thousands of postcards on behalf of Club for the Future, Blue Origin's STEAM-focused nonprofit," Blue Origin wrote in an NS-35 mission description. (STEAM stands for "science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.")

New Shepard also conducts crewed flights; indeed, 14 of its 34 missions to date have carried people to the final frontier.

The most recent such jaunt, NS-34, launched crypto billionaire Justin Sun and five other people from West Texas on Aug. 3. Blue Origin has also flown a number of celebrities, including singer Katy Perry and "Star Trek" actor William Shatner.

Update for Aug. 26: Blue Origin will not launch its latest uncrewed mission on Aug. 26 after all. "We're standing down on today's NS-35 launch attempt to continue to troubleshoot an issue with the booster's avionics. We're determining the next launch opportunity," the company wrote on its NS-35 mission page.

Blue Origin, the private spaceflight company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, will attempt to launch an uncrewed rocket on a science mission at date still yet to be determined. When it happens, you'll be able to watch it live online.

The company's reusable New Shepard rocket will launch a set of experiments into suborbital space from Blue Origin's Launch Site One in West Texas. The company stood down from an initial attempt on Saturday (Aug. 23), which was thwarted by a technical issue. "The team encountered an issue related to the booster's avionics," Blue Origin officials announced on social media at the time. A second attempt on Aug. 26 was also canceled due to the same issue, the company wrote on a mission description.

The Blue Origin launch, called NS-35, will send the company's 200th payload above the Kármán line on this uncrewed suborbital flight, which will include experiments and research designed by students, teachers and university teams. When ready, the NS-35 flight, will lift off from Blue Origin's Launch Site One in West Texas. A live webcast of the entire 10-minute spaceflight is planned to start 15 minutes before the launch. You can watch it live on BlueOrigin.com; Space.com will simulcast the stream, if Blue Origin makes it available.

"RSS H.G. Wells," Blue Origin's first New Shepard capsule devoted to carrying only payloads (rather than people), will fly the NS-35 mission. Both the cabin and its booster are planned to be recovered, with the latter making a propulsive landing on a concrete pad near its launch site and the former descending back to Earth under parachutes.

Among the NS-35 payloads are two dozen experiments that were chosen as part of NASA and Future Engineers' TechRise Student Challenge, including studies into cultivating plants in microgravity, the physics of liquids and medical research.

Other investigations on NS-35 were designed by educators as part of the Teachers in Space program. Their payloads will collect data on sound levels generated during the flight, radiation levels and the environmental conditions aboard the capsule.

Additional experiments on board are flying for the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Oklahoma State University, the University of Florida, University of Central Florida, Teledyne and Space Lab Technologies.

Carthage College in Wisconsin will test new methods for gauging propellant levels in space, while a Teledyne payload, developed with NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, will test the a spacecraft fuel cell system before its possible use on moon and Mars missions.

A clutch of 432 sensors will record the effects of being coated with a new type of chemical coating, and a modified FLEX fluorescence imaging system previously tested aboard the International Space Station will make its first suborbital journey on NS-35.

As on all of Blue Origin's New Shepard flights, crewed or uncrewed, the company is also carrying postcards on behalf of its not-for-profit organization, "Club For the Future." The cards will be stamped after the flight as having reached space and then returned to the students and others who decorated their fronts.

NS-35 will be Blue Origin's 5th flight by the H.G. Wells capsule and 21st uncrewed New Shepard mission.

Editor's note: This article, originally posted on Aug. 22, was updated on Aug. 25 and again on Aug. 26 to reflect delays to Blue Origin's NS-35 New Shepard mission.

Want to know who's considered the world's first sci-fi author? Or exactly how did American science fiction begin? Perhaps what sci-fi novel is the all-time best-seller? 

A new book, "The History of Science Fiction" (Humanoids, 2021) offers a fresh prism through which to view the colorful evolution of science fiction. The book is the result of teamwork between historian Xavier Dollo and illustrator Djibril Morissette-Phan ("All-New Wolverine," "X-Men: Gold," "Star-Lord"). 

The 216-page illustrated volume is a reflective tool to peel back the layers of the genre's early roots as low-brow diversions and project its promising path into the future and an essential volume for any self-respecting fan or student of the 'Literature of Ideas' that's constantly challenging our minds, redefining humanity, and shaping our environments.

Related: Best space and sci-fi books for 2021

"This book continues to amaze me," Humanoids publisher Mark Waid told Space.com. 

"It's so well-researched, so in-depth, that it's going to be a research staple for years to come," Waid added. "The index alone is five pages of type you might want a magnifying glass for, and readers will come away not only with facts but with important social and political context." 

Throughout the book, Dollo and Morissette-Phan bring readers into the daily lives and work of a host of beloved authors.

"Jules Verne, of course, gets his own moment in the spotlight — as one of the most important figures in science fiction history, how could he not?" Waid said; Verne is the subject of an exclusive excerpt from the book shared below.

Embark on an odyssey at light speed through time and space with this first-of-its-kind graphic format exploring every facet of sci-fi. Genre leaders from Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Jonathan Swift, Mary Shelley and Edgar Rice Burroughs to William Gibson, Arthur C. Clarke and Philip K. Dick, to Kim Stanley Robinson and Ted Chiang all make appearances in the book's pages.

"The History of Science Fiction" traces the progress of science fiction through modern times and shows why visionaries like Thomas Edison and Elon Musk have trusted the genre to reveal things to come. And of course, you'll also discover the genesis of your favorite page-to-screen science fiction films within its pages.

You can buy "The History of Science Fiction" on Amazon or Bookshop.org.

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

The War of the Worlds!

Orson Welles' Oct. 30, 1938 broadcast of "War of the Worlds," based on the English author H.G. Wells tale of a Martian invasion, startled many listeners who thought Martians were really attacking. Here are some photos relating to the historic broadcast.
Here Welles, an American actor, director and producer, stands with British author H.G. Wells following the attention-grabbing radio show. [Listen to the 'War of the Worlds' Radio Broadcast!]

NEXT: Spreading Outrage

Spreading Outrage

Part of the furor over Welles' radio broadcast was its apparent authenticity. To recreate "War of the Worlds" (originally a book set in England), Welles "interrupted" a music performance and used actors to stage news reports from an apparent Martian invasion in Grover's Mill, New Jersey. This surprised some listeners who missed the broadcast's opening, which stated up front it was a work of fiction.

On Oct. 31, 1938, newspapers published headlines regarding the dramatization and the responses from the public. The Daily News' front page headline read "Fake Radio 'War' Stirs Terror Through U.S."

Orson Welles, interviewed after the broadcast, conveyed surprise at the public response.

NEXT: Preparing for the Show

Ready for the Show

The "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast was part of Welles' "Mercury Theater on the Air" program on CBS, which broadcast from Radio City in New York. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, the program was a relatively low-budget affair that had been running for 17 weeks. At the time of the broadcast, it didn't have a sponsor.

In this image, Welles is seen rehearsing his part for the historic broadcast.

NEXT: The Man, Orson Welles

The Man

Since the broadcast was scheduled for near Halloween, Welles was reportedly looking for something different with "War of the Worlds." After discussions with producers, he settled on a mock-news format, with exciting bulletins interrupting a dance music program. He used his genius to create a realistic enough production of H.G. Well's "The War of the Worlds" to terrify thousands of Americans into believing New Jersey was being invaded by martians on Oct. 30, 1938.

In this image Welles, seen in the background with raised hands, directs a rehearsal for one of his radio plays.

NEXT: Prepping for the Big Night

Prepping for the Big Night

Performing "War of the Worlds" wasn't a last-minute affair. The actors and crew worked on the program for weeks before launching their performance on Oct. 30.

This image from Oct. 10, 1938, shows Orson Welles and the cast and crew rehearsing for the upcoming radio broadcast.

NEXT: Serious Consequences

Serious Consequences

While thousands of radio listeners were surprised, or even frightened, by the "War of the Worlds" broadcast, others were angry.

Case in point: Paul Morton, the city manager of Trenton, New Jersey. After the broadcast, Morton wrote to the Federal Communications Commission expression concern over the effects it generated on its listeners.

NEXT: Proof of the Gag

Proof of the Gag

On Halloween in 1938, this image of Grover's Mills, the biggest employer in Grover's Mill, was captured, proving the town indeed was not destroyed by alien invaders.

The town still holds events today to commemorate the iconic radio broadcast by Welles' Mercury Theater team.

NEXT: Ready to Fight?

Ready to Fight

In Grover's Mill, New Jersey, one William Dock, 76, stands at the ready, shotgun in hand, to defend himself and his town from any possible Martian invaders.

Dock was one of reportedly thousands of people caught unaware of the fictional origins of Orson Welles' radio broadcast.

NEXT: Explaining the Situation

Explaining the Situation

Following the radio broadcast dramatizing H.G. Well's "The War of the Worlds," Orson Welles discussed with reporters the event (as seen in the image here).

The show caused widespread panic and hysteria across New Jersey and the country, and went down in history as an icon of radio entertainment.

Want to hear Welles' "War of the Worlds"? You can listen to it here from Archive.org!.

From Edgar Rice Burroughs' "John Carter of Mars" to Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles" all the way to the present day with Andy Weir's "The Martian," science fiction has speculated about what secrets the Red Planet possesses. However, "The War of the Worlds" is probably the best-known illustration of humans' long-held fascination with our nearest planetary neighbor.

The modern myths surrounding Mars originated with Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli's discovery of "canali," or channels on the planet's surface, in 1877. After his observations were mistranslated into English as "canals," they caused widespread speculation that these were artificial waterways built by an advanced civilization. In reality, they were random surface features that formed into lines when viewed through a certain type of lens.

Just 20 years later, English author H.G. Wells wrote "The War of the Worlds," a story written in the first person about a man and his brother struggling to stay alive as Martians invade South East England. It was one of the earliest stories to detail a conflict between humankind and an alien race, and it changed science fiction forever. [Listen to the 'War of the Worlds' Radio Broadcast!]

Forty years after the story's publication, in 1938, up-and-coming writer/actor/director/producer Orson Welles was on the lookout for new ideas and innovative ways to tell dramatic stories for his "Mercury Theater on the Air" shows that were broadcast by CBS from Radio City in New York.

Welles' program "Mercury Theater on the Air" was a low-budget weekly show without a sponsor, according to a story on "War of the Worlds" in Smithsonian magazine. It had been on the air at CBS for 17 weeks and had steadily built a small but loyal audience by running modern adaptations of well-known literary classics…but for the week of Halloween, Welles wanted something different.

He discussed his fake newscast idea with producer John Houseman and associate producer Paul Stewart, and together they decided to adapt a work of science fiction. They considered "The Purple Cloud" by M.P. Shiel and "The Lost World" by Arthur Conan Doyle before eventually purchasing the radio rights to "The War of the Worlds."

The novel was adapted for radio by playwright and screenwriter Howard Koch, who changed the setting from 19th-century England to modern-day U.S., with the first Martian spacecraft landing in rural Grover's Mill, New Jersey. 

The program's format was a simulated, live broadcast of unfolding events in the form of news bulletins interrupting a scheduled program of dance music. ['Alien Invasion' Radio Broadcast Terrified Listeners 80 Years Ago]

"I had conceived the idea of doing a radio broadcast in such a manner that a crisis would actually seem to be happening," Welles later said, according to the Smithsonian story, "and would be broadcast in such a dramatized form as to appear to be a real event taking place at that time, rather than a mere radio play."

Koch struggled to make the script interesting at first, and Welles stressed the importance of inserting news flashes and eyewitness accounts to create a sense of urgency and excitement. The cast and crew also offered suggestions and their own contributions, according to the Smithsonian story — for instance, to create the role of reporter Carl Phillips, actor Frank Readick went to the record library and played the recording of Herbert Morrison's radio report of the Hindenburg disaster over and over.

At 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 30, 1938, the show aired. It began as a simulation of a normal evening broadcast featuring a weather report and music by "Ramon Raquello and his Orchestra live from the Meridian Room in the Hotel Park Plaza in downtown New York." 

After a few minutes, the music begins to be interrupted by several news flashes about strange gaseous explosions seen on Mars through telescopes on Earth. 

Reporter Carl Phillips (Readick) interviews Princeton-based astronomy professor Richard Pierson (played by Welles), who dismisses speculation about any life on Mars. The musical program returns, but is interrupted once again by news of a strange meteorite landing in Grover's Mill. Phillips and Pierson are dispatched to the site, where a large crowd has gathered. 

Philips describes the chaotic atmosphere around the strange cylindrical object, and Pierson admits that he does not know exactly what it is, but that it seems to be made of an extraterrestrial material. The cylinder unscrews and Phillips describes the horrific, tentacled monster that emerges from inside. 

Police officers approach the Martian waving a flag of truce, but the invaders respond by firing a heat ray, which incinerates the group and ignites the nearby woods and cars as the crowd screams and attempts to flee. Phillips' shouts about incoming flames are cut off midsentence, and after a moment of silence, an announcer explains that the remote broadcast was interrupted due to "some difficulty with our field transmission." [Best Space Movies in the Universe]

After a brief musical interlude, the regular programming begins to break down as the studio appears to struggle with incoming casualty and firefighting updates. The audience hears that the New Jersey state militia has declared martial law and attempted to attack the cylinder. A Martian tripod rises from the pit and disintegrates the military forces gathered there. From here, it only gets worse as reports flood the studio newsroom of massive destruction and fleeing refugees clogging the highways in a beautifully orchestrated crescendo of chaos.

Much of New Jersey is now in flames. Eventually, a news reporter, broadcasting from the roof of the studio building in Manhattan, describes the Martian invasion of New York City. Buildings are burning and people everywhere are dying. He reads one last bulletin stating that Martian cylinders have fallen all over the U.S., then describes a cloud of poisonous smoke slowly moving down the street until he coughs, chokes and falls silent, leaving only the sounds of the city under attack in the background.

After a period of silence comes the voice of announcer Dan Seymour: "You are listening to a CBS presentation of Orson Welles and the 'Mercury Theatre on the Air,' in an original dramatization of 'The War of the Worlds' by H.G. Wells. The performance will continue after a brief intermission."

After a short break, the program shifted to a more conventional radio drama format and followed a survivor dealing with the aftermath of the invasion and ultimately discovering that the Martians were defeated by microbes rather than by humans, thus returning a little more to the original source material.

Despite the same announcer clearly saying at the beginning of the program "The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the 'Mercury Theatre on the Air' in 'The War of the Worlds' by H.G. Wells" and the program even being listed as such in the newspaper radio guide, by 8:32 p.m. — a little over halfway through the show — executives at CBS began to hear that widespread panic was spreading through the suburbs of New York and New Jersey. 

Many listeners heard only a portion of the broadcast and mistook it for a genuine news broadcast. Anxiety levels were a little higher than usual across the U.S. at this time because of the growing political tensions in Europe. Consequently, this horrific alien invasion tapped into the slowly rising fear and paranoia of many.

Thousands rushed to share the false reports with others or called CBS, newspapers, or the police to ask if the broadcast was real. 

The illusion of realism was reinforced because the "Mercury Theatre on the Air" was a sustaining show without commercial interruptions, and the first break in the program came some 30 minutes after the introduction. Popular legend holds that some of the radio audience may have been listening to "The Chase and Sanborn Hour with Edgar Bergen" and tuned in to "The War of the Worlds" during a musical interlude, thereby missing the clear introduction that the show was a dramatic production. [The "War of the Worlds" Radio Broadcast Explained]

By the next morning, the name and face of the 23-year-old Welles were on the front pages of newspapers on both coasts, along with headlines about the mass panic his CBS broadcast had allegedly inspired. In retrospect, the hysteria is now considered to be have been exaggerated by the media, but regardless, it still gave a pretty good Halloween scare to a lot of people in the tristate area.

As for Welles himself, despite a pretty intense grilling from the press and even calls for new rules for broadcast to be enforced by the FCC, his reputation as a storyteller and artist were forever secured in the annals of history. 

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Original article on Space.com.