Pensioner near Market Drayton with Parkinson's blasting into space today on Virgin Galactic flight
An 80-year-old man with Parkinson's is set to blast into space on a company's first tourist flight today.
Jon Goodwin, who lives near Market Drayton in the Staffordshire village of Baldwin's Gate, will be one of three commercial passengers on the Virgin Galactic flight.
The flight will be piloted and last 90 minutes.
Mr Goodwin brought his $250,000 dollar (£194,500) ticket 18 years ago and has since been diagnosed with the condition. He will be the second person with Parkinson's to go into space.
He competed as a canoeist in the 1972 Games in Munich and said he will be the first Olympian to become an astronaut when the VSS Unity takes off from New Mexico in the USA for a 90-minute trip into space on August 10.
Since his diagnosis in 2014 Mr Goodwin has climbed up Mount Kilimanjaro and cycled back down.
Mr Goodwin told Parkinson's UK: "I inevitably thought they'd say I could no longer go because of Parkinson's but they haven't done that and I'm very honoured that's the case."
He says he feels extremely fortunate that Virgin Galactic are still welcoming him on this historic flight of VSS Unity.
A long-standing member of the North Staffordshire Parkinson's group, Jon wants to use his flight to raise awareness of the condition, and to bring the community along with him by watching live on the Virgin Galactic website.
"The fact that I am now going to space with Parkinson's is completely magical hopefully inspirational to all people," he told Virgin Galactic.
Those on board will enter sub-orbital space, where they will briefly experience weightlessness and be able to take in extraordinary views of the planet.
Keisha Schahaff, 46, and her 18-year-old daughter, Anastatia Mayers, will join Mr Goodwin on the trip, becoming the first mother and daughter to go into space, after winning a coveted place in a prize draw.
The trip will raise funds for Space For Humanity, a non-profit group which seeks to send ordinary citizens into space to give them a “grander perspective” on the challenges facing Earth.
The flight will be live streamed from 3pm today at www.virgingalactic.com.
