Virgin Galactic takes first tourists to edge of space – as British ex-Olympian calls flight ‘most exciting day of my life’ | Science & Tech News
The firm, based by Sir Richard Branson, took a former Olympian and mom-daughter pair about 55 miles (88km) above Earth throughout the 60-minute flight.
By Niamh Lynch, Sky News reporter @niamhielynch
Virgin Galactic has taken its first tourists to the edge of space, with an 80-year-outdated British ex-Olympian saying the journey “exceeded my wildest dreams”.
On board the VSS Unity have been Jon Goodwin, from Newcastle, who had competed in canoeing on the 1972 Games in Munich, Keisha Schahaff, 46, and her 18-year-outdated daughter Anastatia Mayers, a University of Aberdeen scholar.
The crew took the passengers about 55 miles (88km) above Earth the place they skilled zero gravity throughout the flight which lasted simply over an hour.
Speaking later in regards to the journey, Mr Goodwin mentioned it was a “completely surreal experience” and “the most exciting day of my life”.
Space flight ‘most exciting day of my life’
Space launch – as it occurred
He mentioned: “The most impressive thing was looking at Earth from space, the pure clarity was very moving.”
“It was far more dramatic than I imagined it would be, the pure acceleration was completely surreal,” he mentioned.
Mr Goodwin, who has Parkinson’s illness, mentioned he needed to present the sickness “doesn’t stop you from doing things [that are] not normal”.
“I just hope some good comes out of that.”
The octogenarian purchased his ticket for $200,000 in 2005 and was the fourth ever particular person to achieve this.
He paid tribute to “the acceptance of Virgin Galactic”.
“When I signed up, I did not have Parkinson’s. When, 9 years in the past, I contracted the illness I believed that is the top of me going into space.
“They’ve accomplished varied well being checks however they by no means stopped me doing what I needed to do – they want an unlimited quantity of credit score for that,” he mentioned.
Meanwhile, Anastatia Mayers mentioned she had taken a University of Aberdeen pin into space as a result of “they supported me through all of this”. She is finding out physics and philosophy on the college.
She mentioned “the experience has grounded me and awoken me – I definitely feel a lot more connected to Earth itself and a lot more motivated to explore and be even more adventurous”.
The mom and daughter, who’re from Antigua and Barbuda, received their locations in a prize draw.
The pair have been the first astronauts from the Caribbean and the first mom and daughter to go into space.
Keisha Schahaff mentioned: “I’m still up there, I’m not here yet, and it’s just amazing that you can land so smoothly on the runway coming back from space. It was so comfortable, it was really the best ride ever, and I would love to do this again.”
First space flight for tourists lifts off
Pilots CJ Sturckow and Kelly Latimer, alongside astronaut teacher Beth Moses, joined the tourists on the VSS Unity, which took off round 8.30am native time (3.30pm UK time) at Spaceport America in New Mexico.
The VSS Unity separated from its provider airplane, the VMS Eve, at 9.17am (4.17pm UK time), at an altitude of about 44,500ft, and ignited its rocket to hearth upwards for round a minute.
Just two minutes later, footage from inside VSS Unity confirmed the passengers out of their seats, weightless and peering on the Earth outdoors the rocket’s home windows.
Further footage from cameras mounted outdoors of the rocket confirmed the curvature of the Earth.
The VSS Unity landed at Spaceport America at 9.33am (4.33pm UK time). It was met by applause from these watching on from Virgin Galactic, with the passengers smiling and nodding.
It was Virgin Galactic’s seventh journey to space since 2018, however the first with tourists.
It held its inaugural business journey earlier this summer season, when three Italian residents have been taken into low orbit for scientific analysis experiments.
The firm, based by Sir Richard Branson, is ready to supply month-to-month journeys to clients on its winged space airplane, becoming a member of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX within the space tourism enterprise.
