Virgin Galactic sent space tourists for the first time
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The American company Virgin Galactic successfully completed the first commercial flight on a suborbital trajectory on Thursday. There were three tourists and three crew members on board. The ship circled the Earth at an altitude of more than 80 kilometers – on the border of the stratosphere and outer space. The flight lasted one hour.
The crew consisted of the commander, former NASA astronaut CJ Storkow, pilot Kella Latimer and instructor Beth Moses. Passengers – Keisha Shahaff and her 18-year-old daughter, student Anastasia Myers, as well as former athlete, participant of the 1972 Olympics in Munich, John Goodwin. Goodwin is 80 years old, he became the second astronaut in history to suffer from Parkinson’s disease.
The participants of the flight set several records at once. Goodwin became the oldest astronaut in history and the first Olympic astronaut, while Myers became the youngest. In addition, for the first time, a mother and daughter were in the crew. And for the first time there were twice as many women on board as men.
The company’s preparation for commercial flights took many years. Yes, John Goodwin bought a ticket for a flight more than 10 years ago, then it cost 200 thousand dollars. Now tickets for the following flights are more than twice as expensive.
The head of Virgin Galactic, Michael Colglazier, called the flight historic. According to him, he demonstrates how much access to cosmonautics can be expanded. “John, Keisha and Ana embody our belief that space is for everyone,” he said. In the future, Virgin Galactic intends to make commercial flights monthly.
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