Virgin Galactic: Richard Branson launches space flight in 2021

An 80-year-old former Olympian with Parkinson’s disease is getting ready to blast off into space, 18 years after booking his trip.

Jon Goodwin, from Newcastle, will be one of three people travelling to the stars on Virgin Galactic’s first space tourism flight next month.

The pensioner booked his ticket in 2005 for the princely sum of £194,500, before he was diagnosed with his illness.

He 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.

Mr Goodwin, who competed as a canoeist in the 1972 Munich Games, told BBC Breakfast it felt “completely surreal” to finally be on the verge of the voyage he booked 18 years ago.

Read more… Virgin Galactic to launch its first commercial trip into space

He said he is “extremely excited” for what will be the “icing on the cake” after a life of doing “exciting things”.

“I always believed it would happen, a lot of people didn’t,” Mr Goodwin said. “I had a lot of faith in the project and went out to the Mojave Desert (in California) a number of times, watched the development, which was really interesting.

“So, I watched it right from the beginning.” Mr Goodwin hopes his space adventure will encourage others suffering from debilitating illnesses to go out and live their lives.

“I hope it instills other people to do what I’m doing, that it doesn’t stop them from doing abnormal things,” he said.

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“I’m really looking forward to it.”

The Olympian will be joined by Keisha Schahaff, 46, and her 18-year-old daughter, Anastatia Mayers on the voyage.

The couple won a place on the Galactic voyage in a prize draw and will become the first mother and daughter to go to space.

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.

Mr Goodwin said he was extremely grateful to Virgin for allowing him to travel, despite his illness.

He added his whole family was rooting for him as he prepares to orbit the Earth.

“My wife’s always fully supportive of whatever I want to do,” he explained.

“We have two boys and they’re both coming out to see me whizz into space.

“The two boys think it’s what Dad does, it’s not unusual for them.”

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