US-Based Lawyer And Financial Consultant Becomes First Nigerian To Go To Space
Owolabi Salis, a Nigerian lawyer, was on the six-man crew of Blue Origin’s 13th human spaceflight for the New Shepard program. The flight lasted 10 minutes and reached a peak altitude of 105.2 kilometres, crossing the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space, according to a press release.
Who is Owolabi Salis?
Salis is a lawyer and politician who has now become the first Nigerian to travel to space. The lawyer who comes from Ikorodu, Lagos, described his journey as a “convergence of science and spirit.”
“This mission is more than just a trip into space, it’s a spiritual journey, a call to inspire future generations,” he said before liftoff. Salis is an attorney, financial consultant, and author of Equitocracy, a political term that advocates for a system of governance that prioritizes equity among diverse groups. He’s dedicating this mission to victims of discrimination and civil rights violations.
Read: Nigeria To Send First Citizen Into Space With Bezos’ Blue Origin
Blue Origin’s All Female Crew
In March, Blue Origin went into space with an all-female crew that included Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez.
This mission was the first time since Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo flight in 1963 that an all-female crew would be on a human-crewed spaceflight leaving Earth, according to Blue Origin.
The New Shepard rocket was named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space. The rocket uses a fully reusable, suborbital rocket system, ideal for human flight. This mission will be the NS-31 11th human spaceflight for the New Shepard Rocket and the 31st in its history.
Image: History in HD
