Knowledge
knowledge
First supersonic flight: Chuck Yeager was the first person to break the sound barrier in level flight on October 14, 1947.
First flight into space: April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin
How many astronauts have been above the Karman Line since the first flight into pace: Since the first spaceflight in 1961, over 650 people have been in space; the exact number varies depending on the definition, but included at least 655 people by November 2025.
How many space tourists have been in space: • Orbital flights (more than one orbit of Earth): • Seven tourists visited the International Space Station (ISS) between 2001 and 2009. • In September 2021, an all-civilian crew flew into Earth orbit with SpaceX. • Inspiration for all •
First spacewalk by a space tourist in 2024
Suborbital flights (short trips into space): • Flights with companies like Virgin Galactic 37 passengers and Blue Origin have taken over 86 passengers into space in 36 Missions • These flights are generally shorter and less expensive than orbital flights.
New Shepard began flying humans in 2021 following the conclusion of a rigorous flight test program. To date, the program has flown 92 people (86 individuals) into space and more than 200 scientific payloads above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. Our astronauts come from all over the world and from all backgrounds — they're adventurers, artists, business leaders, doctors, entrepreneurs, explorers, journalists, philanthropists, pilots, scientists, teachers, and more.
How long weightlessness with Virgin Galactic: On a Virgin Galactic flight, passengers experience weightlessness for several minutes, typically about three to five minutes. The entire flight lasts approximately one and a half to two hours, with the actual weightlessness phase occurring at altitude.
Study to Evaluate Technical and Regulatory Feasibility of Operating from Italy's Grottaglie Spaceportcon
Commercial flights for public passengers
Novespace created Air Zero G in 2012 to share the experience of weightlessness with 40 public passengers per flight, using the same A310 ZERO-G as for scientific experiences.[12] These flights are sold by Avico, are mainly operated from Bordeaux-Merignac, France, and intend to promote European space research, allowing public passengers to feel weightlessness. Jean-François Clervoy, Chairman of Novespace and ESA astronaut, flies with these one-day astronauts on board A310 Zero-G. After the flight, he explains the quest of space and talks about the 3 space travels he did along his career. The aircraft has also been used for cinema purposes, with Tom Cruise and Annabelle Wallis for the Mummy in 2017.
Photo credit by (c) history of aviation and space travel, Inspiration
for all, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, National Geographic and Klaus Rainer by AirZeroG
