82-year-old woman joins Jeff Bezos on first space flight | science and planet

Wally Funk has always wanted to be an astronaut. Her dream began in the 1960s, and seemed to come true when she graduated as the youngest woman in the Women in Space Program, a privately funded project that tested female pilots for their suitability as astronauts. She was also part of Mercury 13, the women who underwent the same tests for the (male) astronauts who were eventually selected by NASA for the first American manned space program, Mercury. However, the ladies have never been to space.

Now the funk, is allowed to fly as a special guest at the age of 82 with billionaire Jeff Bezos’s New Shepherd. In doing so, she became the oldest human in space, surpassing John Glenn, who went into space for the second time in 1998 at the age of 77.

The flight, which begins in Texas, takes about half an hour and takes space tourists to the weightless edge of space for about three minutes before returning their capsule to ground level.

The so far unknown auction winner has put $28 million on the table.

Tens of thousands sign petitions to prevent Jeff Bezos from returning to Earth after space travel next month الشهر

Belgian company Recticel supplies materials for Jeff Bezos’ first spaceflight