An engineer from Germany has become the world's first wheelchair user to go into space. Michaela Benthaus, who suffered a spinal cord injury in a mountain bike accident seven years ago, had reached out to a retired space engineer online to see if her dream of being an astronaut was still possible.
He then helped organize the historic 10-minute flight with Blue Origin, the space tourism company founded by Jeff Bezos. Ms Benthaus and five others blasted off from Texas on Saturday and reached a point just above the so-called boundary of space, known as the Kármán line.
It was the coolest experience! she said after landing in a video shared by Blue Origin. I didn't only like the view and the micro-gravity, but I also liked going up. That was so cool, every stage of going up.
New Shepard, Blue Origin's reusable sub-orbital launch vehicle, took off from the company's Texas launch pad at 14:15 GMT. Ms Benthaus, who works at the European Space Agency, noted that her experience revealed how inaccessible the world still is for people with disabilities following her accident.
She made her own way from her wheelchair into the capsule using a bench extending from the hatch. Hans Koenigsmann, the retired SpaceX manager who organized the trip, was strapped in nearby to offer assistance during the flight if needed. I met Hans the first time online, Ms Benthaus mentioned. I just asked him, like, you know, you worked for so long for SpaceX, do you think that people like me can be astronauts?
Koenigsmann stated, Michi's flight is particularly meaningful, demonstrating that space is for everyone, and we are proud to help her achieve this dream. The cost of the mission, which is the 16th suborbital space tourism launch by Blue Origin, has not been disclosed. Numerous other high-profile individuals have previously participated in Blue Origin's flights, underscoring the fierce competition among private space companies for dominance in space tourism.
