80-Year-Old Man with Parkinson’s Among Passengers on First Virgin Galactic Space Tourism Flight

Passenger Jon Goodwin, 80, will be the second diagnosed with the condition to make the journey

An 80-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease has been named among the first passengers on Virgin Galactic's second commercial space flight next month.

Passenger Jon Goodwin, 80, will be the second diagnosed with the condition to make the journey — dubbed ‘Galactic 02’ — and the first Olympian, after canoeing in the 1972 Munich Olympic games, as the commercial flight takes off on Aug. 10.

“When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014, I was determined not to let it stand in the way of living life to the fullest,” Goodwin said in Virgin Galactic’s news release. “And now for me to go to space with Parkinson’s is completely magical.

“I hope this inspires all others facing adversity and shows them that challenges don’t have to inhibit or stop them from pursuing their dreams,” the Olympian added.

Related: Virgin Galactic's Rocket-Powered Spaceplane Reaches the Edge of Space with Paying Customers

Goodwin was an early ticket holder on the ‘Galactic 02’ space flight. He said “I’ve always enjoyed rising to new challenges” when speaking of his upcoming once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Joining him in August is wellness coach Keisha Schahaff and her daughter Anastatia Mayers, 18, from Antigua. The pair will be the first Caribbeans to travel to space on the flight, after securing their seats in a draw that raised $1.7 million for the non-profit, Space for Humanity, which aims at expanding access to space.

“When I was two years old, just looking up to the skies, I thought, ‘How can I get there?’ But, being from the Caribbean, I didn’t see how something like this would be possible,” Schahaff said in the news release. “The fact that I am here, the first to travel to space from Antigua, shows that space really is becoming more accessible.”

“I know I will be changed by my experience,” Schahaff added. She will be the first mother joined by her daughter on the space journey.

Second-year college student Mayers will also be the second-youngest passenger to travel to space on the trip. Mayers currently studies philosophy and physics at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

Virgin Galactic’s chief astronaut instructor Beth Moses will be accompanying the trio on the space flight. She has made the journey three times with Virgi1n Galactic and was the first passenger on the company’s space plane in 2019.

So far, Virgin Galactic has sold around 800 tickets for the flights, with 600 priced up to $250,000 and 200 at $450,000, CNN reported.

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In June, a group of Italian researchers reached the edge of space after taking off from the New Mexico desert on a quest to deliver Virgin Galactic’s first mission of bringing commercial spaceflight to all.

That month, it was announced that Virgin Galactic — the brainchild of British billionaire Sir Richard Branson — will proceed with its second mission in August, per CNBC.

The suborbital flights last a minimum of 90 minutes and reach 2,600 mph while transporting four passengers to the edge of space for incredible views, according to the program's website.

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