Virgin Galactic Launches First Outer Space Tour
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As a whistleblower claims the United States government has evidence of extraterrestrials visiting Earth, companies are making strides for human beings to leisurely explore space. On Thursday (Aug. 10), hopeful space tourists arrived at Spaceport America in New Mexico to take off on Virgin Glactic’s Galactic-02 space-flight mission on the VSS Unity.
According to Space.com, the space plane does not enter orbit, but “its trajectory does create several minutes of weightlessness for the passengers, at an altitude high enough for them to see the curvature of Earth against the blackness of space.
Passengers included six people total — three professionals and three private passengers. Leading the journey were the commander and former Nasa astronaut CJ Sturckow, the pilot Kelly Latimer, and Beth Moses, Virgin Galactic’s chief astronaut instructor. Former Olympian Jon Goodwin and Antiguan mother-daughter duo Keisha Schahaff and Anastasia Mayers were also aboard for the historic moment.
According to the Associated Press, Goodwin was among the first to purchase a $200,000 ticket for the mission in 2005. The 80-year-old’s later diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease would prevent him from being able to participate as the trip was delayed for years. AP reported the trip now costs $450,000.
“That was by far the most awesome thing I’ve ever done in my life,” detailed Goodwin.
Schahaff and Mayers were able to earn their astronaut stripes through a fundraiser with the nonprofit organization Space for Humanity, which strives to make spaceflight more accessible to diverse peoples across the globe.
“A childhood dream has come true,” said Schahaff. According to AP, she took pink Antiguan sand with her for the journey.
“I have no words. The only thought I had the whole time was ‘Wow!’” added Mayers.
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