A former Olympic athlete with Parkinson’s and a mother-daughter from the Caribbean are slated to ascend to the heavens on the next Virgin Galactic space flight, the company announced Monday.
Keisha Schahaff, 46, and her 18-year-old daughter Anastasia Mayers will be the first-ever Caribbean residents to hitch a ride toward the stars, and 80-year-old Jon Goodwin, a champion rower who competed at the Munich Games in 1972, will be the second Parkinson’s-stricken passenger and first Olympian to surge to the edge of space.
The 700 people who have traveled to space have been a less than diverse crowd, Galactic pointed out in its announcement. More than 60 nations will be represented in the company’s 800-member Future Astronaut community, as its passengers and crew are collectively dubbed.
“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,” said Schahaff, an entrepreneur and health and wellness coach from Antigua and Barbuda, in a statement from Galactic.
For Wilson, snagging a seat on the flight is proof that his 2014 diagnosis does not have to limit his existence.
“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,” he said through Galactic. “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 launch window opens on August 10, and the trip will be livestreamed at Virgin Galactic’s website.
The trip to the edge of space takes about an hour, after which those aboard can unstrap for a few minutes, float around and contemplate what it means to live on a tiny blue marble.
Source: New York Daily News