Ken Griffin Buys New York School Teachers A Rocket Ticket To Space

CHICAGO — Chicago billionaire Ken Griffin bought an $8 million ticket to send two New York City school teachers to space.

A proxy for the Citadel hedge fund founder on Monday placed the highest bid for a seat in a Blue Origin New Shepard capsule at a Christie's Auction House event that raised $126 million for the poverty-fighting charity, Robin Hood Foundation.

Amazon founder and Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos donated two seats on the New Shepard for the "buy one, give one" auction. Griffin announced that he would not take the flight, instead allowing two teachers to experience a commercial flight to space.

“I hope this moment will ignite the imagination of our students and inspire the next generation to push the boundaries of what humanity can achieve while underscoring the extraordinary role our teachers play in the lives of our children,” Griffin said in a statement.

The space flight, which hasn't been scheduled, will take off from Blue Origin's private launch pad in West Texas. The capsule climbs to about 34o,000-feet above the Earth's surface, where passengers experience weightlessness for about two minutes before returning.