German engineer Mikaela Benthaus successfully carried out a suborbital space flight, despite paralysis of the lower body. This was reported by Deutsche Welle.
The flight took place on December 20th aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft and lasted approximately 11 minutes. Thus, the 33-year-old Benthaus made history as the first person in the world to go into space with a paralysis below the waist. He was seriously injured in a fall while riding a bicycle in 2018 and has been wheelchair-bound ever since.
After landing, Benthaus called this flight the most unforgettable experience of his life. He emphasized that a person should never give up on their dreams, because even a small opportunity may be enough to fulfill them. He also said that he had been interested in space since childhood and was motivated by the film "Star Wars."
Besides Benthaus, the New Shepard crew included five other participants. Among them is the German aerospace engineer Hans Königsmann, who worked at SpaceX until 2021. Königsmann described the landscape of the Earth and its atmosphere after the flight as very impressive, and the darkness of the cosmos as deeper than expected.
It is noted that this mission is the 16th pilot flight of Blue Origin, a company owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos. In recent years, about 80 wealthy people have participated in short-term space travel. The price of air tickets has not been officially disclosed.
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