Space & Astronomy

Virgin Galactic sends first tourists up to the edge of space

By T.K. Randall
August 11, 2023 ·  5 comments

Would you fly into space aboard VSS Unity ? Image Credit: YouTube / Virgin Galactic It's a day that many thought would never happen, but after years of struggles and setbacks, Virgin Galactic has finally succeeded in launching its first ever tourists to the edge of space.

Joining yesterday's flight was Jon Goodwin - a former Olympian who had purchased his ticket for $200,000 all the way back in 2005 (at the time he was the fourth person ever to do so).

Now 80 and suffering from Parkinson's disease, Goodwin had doubted that he would ever go up, but now, at last, his dream has come true.

"When I signed up, I didn't have Parkinson's," he said. "When, nine years ago, I contracted the disease I thought that's the end of me going into space.""They've done various health checks but they never stopped me doing what I wanted to do - they need an enormous amount of credit for that."

Also on the flight were mother-and-daughter Keisha Schahaff and Anastatia Mayers who won their seats in a prize draw.

They were joined by pilots CJ Sturckow and Kelly Latimer, as well as astronaut instructor Beth Moses.

You can check out the full flight in the video below.


Source: Sky News | Comments (5)

Tags: Virgin Galactic