"A paraplegic engineer from Germany blasted off on a dream-come-true rocket ride with five other passengers on Saturday, leaving her wheelchair behind to float in space while beholding Earth from on high. Severely injured in a mountain bike accident seven years ago, Michaela Benthaus became the first wheelchair user in space, launching from west Texas with Jeff Bezos's company Blue Origin. She was accompanied by a retired SpaceX executive also born in Germany, Hans Koenigsmann,"
"Their ticket prices were not divulged. An ecstatic Benthaus said she laughed all the way up the capsule soared more than 65 miles (105km) and tried to turn upside down once in space. It was the coolest experience, she said shortly after landing. The 10-minute space-skimming flight required only minor adjustments to accommodate Benthaus, according to the company. That's because the autonomous New Shepard capsule was designed with accessibility in mind,"
Michaela Benthaus, a 33-year-old paraplegic engineer from Germany, launched on Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital flight as the first wheelchair user in space. She departed from west Texas with five other passengers, including retired SpaceX executive Hans Koenigsmann, who helped design and test accommodations and sponsored the trip. The 10-minute flight reached over 65 miles (105 km), offering weightlessness and views of Earth. Blue Origin made minor adjustments such as adding a patient transfer board, an elevator to the pad, and a recovery carpet to provide immediate wheelchair access after touchdown. Benthaus had practiced transfers in advance and had prior parabolic flight experience.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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