this is "nightline." >> tonight -- >> we are about to go to space, everybody. >> bezos blastoff. the amazon founder and the richest man on the planet taking the ride of his life. >> all right, all right! that's incredible. >> whoo! oh! >> the man who began building his fortune in his garage now hoping to transform the future. >> this is a big vision. but big things start small, and this is how it starts. >> why some say he should be spending more of his billions here on earth. plus -- >> oh my god. is that my cover? >> the future is now. making history. the first trans woman on the cover of "sports illustrated's" swimsuit edition. >> i see a woman that has created a life for herself.

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♪ thanks for joining us. jeff bezos says when he was a kid, he dreamed about going into space. today, he did just that,

blasting off from the west texas desert with a history-making crew, triumphantly claiming, dreams really do come true. but his critics saying the money could be spent better here on earth. here's abc's transportation correspondent gio benitez. >> reporter: today, billions space travel reached new heights. jeff bezos, founder of amazon and blue origin, made history launching into space with three other crew members. the richest man on the planet getting an out-of-this-world experience. >> i want to thank every amazon employee and every amazon customer. because you guys paid for all this. >> reporter: in 2017, the tech titan told abc news that he sells $1 billion of amazon stock a year to fund the program, leaving some to wonder if this is just an opportunity for the ultra-rich, or is bezos' work contributing to furthering space research? >> people i think like to

complain, like oh, a billionaire going to space, why do i care about that? it's not about the going, it's about creating a system down here that brings more people than the government can bring up to space. >> command, start. two, one -- >> reporter: shortly after 9:00 a.m. eastern time, the new ship pardon, named after alan shepard, the first american in space, lifted off, beginning its ascent into the atmosphere. joining bezos on board, his brother mork, 18-year-old oliver damon, the youngest person to go to space, 82-year-old wally funk, the oldest. minutes later, the capsule speculated from the booster. and the crew began experiencing microgravity. >> whoo-hoo! >> whoo! >> reporter: at about 328,000 feet, they pass the carmen line, the internationally recognized boundary between earth and

space. around seven minutes into the flight, the booster touched back down on earth. the capsule holding bezos' team followed shortly after, floating down gently. >> whoo! >> reporter: it was the trip of a lifetime for funk, who waited decades for this day. in 1961, funk became the youngest member of the mercury 13, the first group of women to be put through rigorous astronaut training as part of a women in space program designed to determine if women were as capable of handling space travel as men. despite completing the training, funk would never get the chance to fly because the program was canceled. yet she prevailed, becoming the first female investigator for

the ftt. now she's finally an astronaut too. >> best i've had in my life, and i've had lots of them. >> seeing wally in space meant everything to me, and i think will mean so much to so many women. >> reporter: bezos and his brother mark spoke to my colleague, michael strahan. >> greatest day ever. amazing. i mean -- speechless in a way. i don't have the talent to put into words what we just experienced. >> there are a lot of people who look and they go you know what, billionaire, spent a lot of money to go to space. but this is bigger than that. >> things like this inspire kids, and that's a big deal. the other thing that's a big deal is, we need to get good at going to space so that we can save the earth. >> reporter: bezos, whose name is arguably synonymous with the online retail behemoth amazon, began building his empire nearly 30 years ago. he has since built amazon from

an online bookstore into a global giant worth more than $1.7 trillion. he has made headlines in recent years, is first with the 2019 announcement of his multibillion-dollar divorce from his wife of 27 years, mckenzie scott, recently revealing he planned to step down as amazon ceo in february. what do you think led to that retirement as ceo? >> he's close to 60 years old. his patteersonal passion, his h has been space and blue origin. >> reporter: like most of america's ultra-wealthy, bezos has come under fire, last month being accused of not paying his fair share of texass. according to propublic lick character bezos amassed $90 billion in growth, paid $973 million in taxes, less than 1%. this coupled with negative headlines over the years about amazon workplace conditions, casting a shadow over his achievements.

last year, bezos responded to the criticism, writing, the fact is, the large team of thousands of people who lead operations at amazon have always cared deeply for our hourly employees and we're proud of the work environment we've created. despite what we've accomplished, it's clear to me that we need a better vision for our employees' success. >> the criticism is actually good. because i think it's made him alter his approach. >> reporter: bezos' trip was the second commercial spaceflight in a little more than a week, perhaps getting us a step closer to civilian space tourism. >> in a way it's frustrating because we have urgent problems on earth, including climate change. bezos is thinking centuries in the future, maybe we can have an orbiting space station. but he believes you can do both. >> reporter: one of the pete seats on today's launch was auctioned off for a whopping $28 million. when the original ticket holder pulled out, citing scheduling conflicts, that paved the way for the second-highest bidder to take his spot, allowing

18-year-old oliver damon from amsterdam to become the youngest person to go to space. >> it was a bit more emotional than i would have thought. >> reporter: his father, joss damon, who paid for the ticket, is a millionaire dutch businessman and founder and ceo of hedge fund somerset capital partners. >> it does seem for the foreseeable future, blue origin wants to run auctions and give to it the highest bidder. who knows how long that will last. even at $300,000, that's a pricey 10-minute vacation. went to space in 2006 knows who- firsthand how expensive these trips can be. >> at that time, the cost of the tickets were about $20 million. however, supply and demand, the cost has gone up significantly. >> reporter: while many people have criticized investment in space currism, ansari says it is critical. >> i believe it's short-sighted for us to say, why aren't we spending on other things? it's not a question of

either/or. we need to invest in both. we need this desire, exploration, gaining knowledge, furthering humanity. >> reporter: bezos says the millions made from today's trip will be donated with a goal to inspire future generations to pursue careers in s.t.e.m. and help invent the future of life in space. >> for anyone who doesn't believe space has touched their lives, i think they just need to look around them and see the technologies they use today, whether it's entertainment and tv services, the banking system, the gps system in their cars. all of these have been developed because of the space program. >> reporter: bezos is also creating the bezos earth fund, centered around climate change and sustainability. he hopes that a better life here on earth and beyond could soon be within our orbit. >> we're going to build a road to space so that our kids and their kids can build the future.

this is not about escaping earth. when you go into space and see how fragile it is, you'll want to take care of it even more. that's what this is about. it's going to take decades. this is a big vision. but big things start small. >> our thanks to gio. up next, the "sports illustrated" swimsuit model making history. we do it every night. every night. do it. run your dishwasher every night with cascade platinum to save water & energy. did you know an energy star certified dishwasher uses less than 4 gallons of water per cycle while a running sink uses that every 2 minutes? even better, it's proven you can also save up to $130 dollars per year on your energy bill. so do it every night with cascade platinum. the surprising way to save water & energy. people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes are waking up to what's possible with rybelsus®. ♪ you are my sunshine ♪

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cover of the "sports illustrated" swimsuit edition, one of many recent firsts for the transgender community. >> oh! oh my god! oh my god. is that my cover? >> reporter: this is what it looks like when somebody's wildest dreams come true. >> oh my god. changed the world! >> reporter: leyna bloom, making history as the first openly trans woman to grace the cover of "sports illustrated's" swimsuit edition. >> i came here to really just represent my community, to be a representation that i want to see if the world, and this exemplifies this moment. >> everything in my life just flashed through my eyes. i was like, wow. all the trials and tribulations, all the good, the bad -- it was all worth it. >> reporter: unveiling that historic moment, leyna's role model, supermodel-turned-mogul tyra banks, who nearly 25 years ago became the first black woman to earn a solo swimsuit issue

cover. >> it was my first time seeing, like, a woman with, like, curves that was beautiful, that was non. because she imagined what she could do because of this opportunity, and look at me. >> look at you! >> look at ythis! >> look at you, oh my gosh. take a look at that picture for me right now. what do you see when you see that? >> i see a woman that has mastered her design. i see a woman that has created a life for herself. people can look at this and say, wow, we are taking a peek into the future. >> reporter: it's a future already emerging. >> mj rodriguez, "pose." >> reporter: like leyna's "pose" costar, mj rodriguez, the first trans emmy nominee in a lead acting category. c cataluna enriquez, another black filipina set to become the first transgender miss usa contestant.

what do all these milestones collectively say to you? >> it's a dream that has always been there. it's a dream that my trans sisters who have come before me have bestowed upon me. it's a moment for all of us to say, thank you for allowing to us see ourselves. >> reporter: leyna is one of a trio of groundbreaking women chosen. tennis champ mayomy osaka, the first black female athlete on the nation's cover. megan thee stallion, the first rapper featured. i first spoke with leyna in march after her first shoot. >> the idea that trans women are just out here and living in spaces and billboards and magazines is very new. >> reporter: leyna has already broken barrier after barrier. a cover girl in every sense of the word. strutting down catwalks and striking a pose for brands like levi's and dior. in 2019, she became the first openly open trans woman of color to star in a movie at the.

>> translator: festival, "port authority," the story of a straight cis man falling in love with a trans woman set against new york's vibrant ballroom scene. >> it's important to tell that story. trans women are often sensationalized, sexualized. this is a trans woman who is not. she's in charge and knows who she is. >> reporter: the film imitating life. leyna's found family, the ballroom community, where she competed in the face competition. >> face is a unique expression of mind and body and soul and how to present that beautifully. this is an example. you have a nose. you give it structure. you have cheekbone. you give it structure. you have a jawline. you give it structure. you have a smile. you give it personality. >> you just went full ballroom on me. >> i did. >> i love it, that was so good, thank you so much. >> reporter: in the ballroom, she found the acceptance she'd longed for for years.

after losing a high school dance scholarship. >> i had to detransition to receive the scholarship. it was a men's scholarship for me to dance as a man. they asked me to cut my hair off. they asked me to develop some type of diet to build up muscle. and because of the scholarship, i fell into a really serious depressi depression, and my grades were affected by that. so it was either get my grades and up continue the scholarship, or do something else with your life. so i chose to transition again and moved to new york city and live my most authentic self. >> without your scholarship, and without a lot of economic opportunities, you like many trans young adults faced homelessness. >> yes. i've dealt with homelessness throughout my life. so when i moved to new york city, and being homeless on the trains, being homeless on, you know, the benches, it was homeless for a purpose. >> you still had the dream?

>> yeah, i still had the dream. the dream was feeding me when i wa starving in my body. >> reporter: through it all, one man stood by her side, her father. >> here's a single black man who was raised in the projects, raising a transgender, biracial child in today's society. >> your father was with you every step? >> when i wanted to transition, when i wanted to get the things to make me feel my complete self, he was right there. we went to thailand together when i was 18 years old. when i woke up from my surgery, he was right there. >> but literally, the living embodiment of unconditional love. >> of course, yes. that's what that's called. and this is what it looks like when you do that. >> reporter: that unconditional love and support have become leyna's lifeline. are there times when you felt like you were a victim of hate? >> every single day of my life. but it makes me stronger. this is what it looks like. all my haters made me who i am. >> every single day?

>> yes. >> leyna is just so many wonderful things in one body. she's joy. she's perseverance. she's strength. >> reporter: m.j. day is editor-in-chief of "sports illustrated" swimsuit. >> it's one thing for society to be ready for it, it's another thing to have "sports illustrated" readership be ready for trans models. >> i mean, if they're not ready for it, they can go somewhere else. because this is what we are. this is the future of our brand. >> the audience for "sports illustrated" is predominantly male. sometimes straight men have a hard time when they find themselves attracted to a trans woman. >> right. >> and so what do you say to the straight male who finds himself attracted to you? >> that there's something inside you that is honest. that there's something that is pure. that is something that doesn't lie to you, and that's what you should lead into and be attracted to. because in society, we're taught not to do that. >> reporter: leyna knows that the first step towards change is visibility. where showing your true self is

an act of defiance and an act of courage. is this beautiful covering a shield? or a true expression? >> it's both. i have to protect it. i have to protect all of this. being in "sports illustrated," that's the weapon. here's a magazine that has had so many different walks of life for women, and now it's a moment for a trans woman to take her moment in the spotlight and go back to the beach and tell other women that are trans of experience and all different forms of experience to say, get your suntanning lotion, get your chair, get your blanket, and lay on a beach and be there. you deserve to be at the beach also. up next, an nba championship 50 years in the making. i've got moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are getting clearer. ♪ ♪ i feel free to bare my skin yeah, that's all me. ♪

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milwaukee's only other championship in 1971, featuring a young lou alcindor who changed his name to kareem abdul-jabbar after winning the title. and that's "nightline" for tonig tonight. watch all of our f episos on wel see you rightacrrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.