The view of the Earth made Shatner emotional.

90-year old veteran actor William Shatner set a record this week as the oldest man to ever visit space. Shatner was offered a position on Blue Origin’s latest civilian voyage thanks to his classic role as Captain Kirk on the original Star Trek, which has long tied him to the scientific and spacefaring community. The voyage was conducted successfully, and all of the passengers returned to Earth no worse for wear. But while Shatner was physically fine, the sight of the Earth in space saddled him with new emotional weight.

“I wish I had better news and more entertainment and jokes to tell you, but I was moved to tears by what I saw,” Shanter said on CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time. “And I come back filled with… overwhelmed by sadness and empathy for this beautiful thing we call Earth.”

Shatner said that the brief trip had given him new perspective on the fragility of the Earth and humanity, and that he now has a strengthened belief in the importance of cleaner business practices.

“We’re at the tipping point, we haven’t got time to wait 30 years and argue about a few billion dollars,” Shatner said. “Burying your head in the sand another instant about global warming and the destruction of the planet is suicide for all of us.”

Shatner warned that if nothing is done to change the course of the Earth’s environment, humanity will be robbing its young of their future.

“What is tragic is if our children, especially our children’s children, don’t have a chance to be part of this beautiful thing we call Earth… and it’s just sad,” Shatner said.