She Just Became the First Wheelchair User to Travel to Space

CNN - Michaela Benthaus, a 33-year-old German aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency, just became the first wheelchair user ever to travel past the Kármán Line — a common demarcation for outer space that lies 100 kilometers (62 miles) above sea level.

Her history-making trip aboard a Blue Origin New Shepard capsule took flight on Saturday morning, lifting off from the company’s launch facilities near Van Horn, Texas.

The mission, known as NS-37, is the 16th suborbital space tourism launch carried out by Blue Origin, the Jeff Bezos-funded rocket venture founded in 2000 with the aim of expanding access to space — even for enthusiasts who don’t fit the typical mold of an astronaut.

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Note:  Blue Origin is headquartered in Kent.

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