Memorable journey

It’s a huge achievement for Namira Salim who is on a historic space journey with the crow members which blasts off on a Virgin Galactic space plane from (US) New Mexico’s Spaceport America and a proud moment for her home country Pakistan (“Pakistan’s Namira Salim makes history with successful space journey,” Oct.6, Gulf Today website).

According to the report, the upcoming mission, called Galactic 04, will see three paying customers sent into suborbital space and back on Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity space plane. The suborbital trajectory will allow passengers several minutes of weightlessness before returning to Earth. Though it doesn’t reach orbit, Unity will be high enough that passengers will be able to see the curvature of Earth against the backdrop of outer space. Unity will lift off beneath the wings of its carrier plane, Virgin Mothership (VMS) Eve, from New Mexico’s Spaceport America.

In addition to Salim, VMS Eve is also piloted by a Canadian Jameel Janjua. He had completed over 4,000 flying hours in more than 45 different vehicles before he joined Virgin Galactic. Kelly Latimer and C.J.

There is no doubt the space journey will be memorable for Namira Salim. She will become the role model for females all over Pakistan.

Junaid Aslam,
By email