Glen de Vries was a businessman who went to space alongside William Shatner on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin NS-18 mission. Trained as a molecular biologist, de Vries co-founded Medidata Solutions in 1999, a technology company whose software is used in clinical trials. The company was sold to Dassault Systémes in 2019 for $5.8 billion. De Vries also had his private pilot's license and enjoyed ballroom dancing and running. As a space tourist flying with Blue Origin in October 2021, he worked to bring attention to environmental issues and clean water access. De Vries also advocated for space tourism being made accessible to more people.
