English Olympic athlete Jon Goodwin, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2018, has expressed his excitement about the prospect of going into space. Goodwin, who is set to travel to space as part of the first all-civilian crew aboard the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission, believes the experience will be magical. He hopes this journey will inspire others with Parkinson’s and show them that they can still pursue their dreams and achieve amazing things despite their condition. Goodwin also aims to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson’s research through this space mission..
The man who is today set to take a giant leap for Parkinson’s sufferers and become the oldest Briton in space says he hopes his voyage will inspire others.
Jon Goodwin will also become the first Olympian in space on the Virgin Galactic trip. At the New Mexico launchpad in the US, the 80-year-old said: “For me to go to space with Parkinson’s is 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 proud “Stokie” from the village of Baldwin’s Gate, Staffs, missed out on a canoeing medal at the 1972 Munich Games. He later focused on business interests and the millionaire paid $200,000 for a Virgin Galactic flight in 2005.
Mission setbacks for the Virgin project included an October 2014 crash when a co-pilot was killed. That same month Jon was diagnosed with Parkinson’s but he said Virgin billionaire Richard Branson told him he felt “confident that I can meet the challenge”.
He has since climbed up and cycled down Mount Kilimanjaro. Jon’s countdown as Astronaut 011 is due to begin at 4pm at Spaceport America.
He will join Antiguans Keisha Schahaff, 46, and her 18-year-old Aberdeen University student daughter Anastatia Mayers, who won their £350,000 seats. With the two pilots, they will be strapped into the VSS Unity and fly to around 50,000ft attached to an aircraft.
Rocket-powered Unity will then detach and soar into space at nearly Mach 3.
The astronauts will float for a few minutes and see Earth from 300,000ft.
Unity will then glide back to the runway.
On the ground watching will be Jon’s family, including wife and fellow Olympian Pauline.
He admitted feeling “apprehensive” but stressed that it was an opportunity “I couldn’t miss”.
Jon Goodwin, an 80-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease, is set to become the oldest Briton in space on a Virgin Galactic trip. Goodwin, who was also an Olympian, hopes that his journey will inspire others facing adversity. He paid $200,000 for the Virgin Galactic flight in 2005 and has since climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. The launch comes after setbacks for the Virgin project, including a crash in 2014. Goodwin, along with two other passengers and two pilots, will reach an altitude of around 50,000ft before detaching from the aircraft and floating in space for several minutes before returning to Earth.
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