Olympic icon will be oldest Brit to go to space today despite health battle
A former Olympian who is today set to defy Parkinson’s disease to become the oldest Brit to go into space says the flight will be magical.
Jon Goodwin, 80, added he hopes that soaring to new heights despite having the debilitating condition will inspire others dealing with difficulties. He will be Virgin Galactic’s first paying tourist – with the prospect of floating weightless for a few minutes and seeing Earth from about 55 miles away.
Jon said: “From becoming an Olympian to canoeing between the peaks of Annapurna, to winning a six-day race in the Arctic Circle, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (and cycling back down), I’ve always enjoyed rising to new challenges. When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014, I was determined not to let it stand in the way of living life to the fullest. And now for me to go to space with Parkinson’s is completely magical. I hope this inspires all others facing adversity and shows them that challenges don’t have to inhibit or stop them from pursuing their dreams.”
Keisha Schahaff and daughter Anastasia MayersJon bought his ticket for $250,000 (about £200,000) in 2005 when a launch date of 2008 was mooted. It was pushed back each year and he put it to the back of his mind. Then disaster struck.
Jon said: “In October 2014 a Virgin Galactic test flight crashed and the co-pilot was killed. It was human error. They learned from what happened and made some safety modifications – but it stopped me in my tracks, thinking I could have been on it.”
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Jon’s personal setback was the same month, when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s after two years of symptoms. He said of his daredevil antics over the years: “For some reason, I seem to attract myself to these experiences. But when I got diagnosed with Parkinson’s, I thought, ‘well, that’s it – they’re not going to accept me’.”
Richard Branson aboard SpaceShip Two Unity 22 (VIRGIN GALACTIC/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)But Virgin billionaire Sir Richard Branson, 73, and Virgin Galactic refused to let it end his dream. Jon said: “I know Richard – we met during the 18 years of waiting – and he gave me the go-ahead. He feels confident I can meet the challenge.”
Millionaire Jon refuses to let his condition ground him. Ever since being diagnosed, he has repeatedly proved his mantra that anything is possible – including the gruelling Mount Kilimanjaro challenge. He will be the first Olympian in space and only the second with Parkinson’s. The first was US astronaut Rich Clifford.
He was suffering mildly from the disease ahead of his third and final trip on the Space Shuttle in 1996. Rich, who kept the diagnosis hidden from the public at the time, died of Parkinson’s complications in 2021 aged 69. Jon is due to blast off at 4pm UK time from Spaceport America in the desert in the US state of New Mexico. He will be joined by two other passengers – Antiguan mum and daughter Keisha Schahaff, 46, and 18-year-old Aberdeen University student Anastatia Mayers. They won their tickets, each worth £350,000, in a prize ballot. Anastatia said: “Jon is one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met.”
Jon Goodwin in his canoeTogether with the two pilots, the astronauts will be carried into space strapped into the Virgin Galactic rocket plane, called the VSS Unity. Its “mothership” takes off from a runway and reaches around 50,000ft before it deploys the VSS Unity, which soars vertically into space at nearly Mach 3 – over 2,000mph. In space, the astronauts can unbuckle their safety harnesses and float around briefly.
They will be about 300,000ft above Earth – around 10 times the height of a normal aeroplane flight. Gravity will then bring the spaceship down through Earth’s atmosphere. The craft is scheduled to glide back to the runway it took off from. On the ground will be Jon’s wife – who is fellow Olympic canoeist Pauline Goodwin – their two sons and 11-year-old grandson.
They will watch Astronaut 011, as Jon is known to mission specialists, fulfil his space ambition after he achieved others such as cycling 1,700 miles across Australia, canoeing 225 miles through the Grand Canyon and taking on the longest canoe race in the world in the Arctic Circle.
Jon and pal Jeff Deaville before their cycle ride across Australia (Staffordshire Sentinel)Canoeist Jon competed at the 1972 Munich Olympics – remembered for the terror attack targeting the Israeli Olympic team which resulted in 12 innocent people being killed. Jon and canoe partner John Court were kept in the dark over how the gunmen broke into the Olympic Village. On their hopes of getting on the podium, Jon said: “We’d been working towards that goal for such a long time but we didn’t win a medal.
“It took me about 20 years to get over the disappointment but now I can see it as an achievement.” After returning home he became a successful businessman. He owned Goodwin’s confectionery wholesalers. Later he took over the Bargain Booze chain for a time.
Since last week, Jon has been training for today’s 90-minute flight. The passengers have covered everything from weightlessness preparation and G-force readiness to how to handle “sensory saturation” and emergency procedures.
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Virgin Galactic rocket during flight (PA)Jon admitted he is feeling nervous as he contemplates the momentous flight he is about to go on. He said: “When I signed up in 2005 I never questioned when it would happen. I thought it was exceptional value for money. I just put it to the back of my mind, but now the realisation has come that it’s actually going to happen.”
He added: “I do feel a bit apprehensive but that’s not a bad thing; it produces the adrenaline. I have done some exciting things in my time but this is the ultimate. More people have climbed Everest than have been into space. It was an opportunity that I couldn’t miss.” Jon now hopes his trip inspires others to reach for the stars.
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