Michaela Benthaus becomes first wheelchair user to travel to space

Blue Origin sent Michaela 'Michi' Benthaus into space, making her the first wheelchair user to do so on December 20. An aerospace and mechatronics engineer, Benthaus flew on the NS-37 New Shepard mission, crossing the Kármán line. Disabled since a 2018 spinal injury, she trained through Astro Access zero-gravity flights. The brief suborbital flight delivered minutes of microgravity before landing.