Engineer becomes first wheelchair user to go to space
Summary
A German engineer named Michaela Benthaus became the first person using a wheelchair to go into space. She traveled on a 10-minute suborbital flight with Blue Origin, a space tourism company, achieving a personal dream despite her spinal cord injury. The flight emphasized that space is accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities.Key Facts
- Michaela Benthaus is the first wheelchair user to travel to space.
- She suffered a spinal cord injury from a mountain bike accident seven years ago.
- Benthaus flew on a Blue Origin suborbital flight, reaching above the Kármán line, the boundary of space.
- The flight lasted about 10 minutes and included six passengers, including Benthaus.
- Blue Origin adapted ground support equipment to help Benthaus enter and exit the space capsule.
- Hans Koenigsmann, a retired SpaceX manager, helped organize the flight.
- Blue Origin has conducted 16 suborbital space tourism launches, including this mission.
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