Join Jon Goodwin as he travels into space

Former Olympic canoeist, Jon Goodwin is an adventurer who had always dreamt of going into space. When there was a chance that his dream could become reality, he put his name down for the once in a lifetime opportunity. In 2005, he bought a ticket for a Virgin Galactic flight.

What Jon didn’t anticipate was a Parkinson’s diagnosis. It came 9 years after he booked his space flight and it was another 9 years before a seat became available. So, when his opportunity to travel into the Earth’s orbit came, he assumed his condition would leave his dreams unattainable. But like with his many other incredible adventures, Parkinson’s is not about to stop Jon.

Jon said:

"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."

At 80 years old, he’s about to become only the second person with Parkinson’s to travel into space. He says he feels extremely fortunate that Virgin Galactic are still welcoming him on this historic flight of VSS Unity. And they are inviting the world along to watch too.

A long-standing member of the North Staffordshire 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.