Pioneers is inviting all pioneering spirits over the age of 18 to apply for the chance to travel to the edge of space next year. We’re partnering up with Space For Humanity’s project to send multiple ordinary people on the ride of their lives in 2018 – and one person from our community could be among them!
Pioneers has always kept a close eye on developments in accessible space travel, and this partnership with a non-profit that’s looking to use space travel in a positive, problem-solving way, is both a perfect and exciting fit. Space for Humanity aims to increase diversity amongst space travellers and use their voices to help tackle earth’s issues through the unique ‘point of view’ that they’ll bring back from taking a big-picture look at our planet.
The big prize would mean joining the first group of ‘citizen astronauts’ to travel on the incredible Worldview balloon (made famous in 2014 by Alan Eustace’s record-breaking jump) or Blue Origin (the spacecraft brought to life by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos) with Space for Humanity. Either of these machines, of course, scream the kind of innovation we at Pioneers hold so dear.
To have a chance to reach those lofty heights, applicants will need to get a friend to tag them on our Facebook post with a one-liner on why they’re the best pioneer to undertake such a historic journey. After that, it’s down to our online community to show their love for the best one-liners.
Pioneers will then ask the three nominees whose words earned the most likes by noon (GMT+2) on July 13 to send us a simple video (maximum three minutes) answering the question ‘I’m a Pioneer because…’ We’ll choose the most convincing to advance to the final selection process by Space for Humanity.
By applying through the Pioneers process, the applicant will have earned a simplified path to the Space for Humanity final selection. They will still need to submit an application and video on spaceforhumanity.org, but it will only need to state ‘I was nominated through the Pioneers competitive process.’
Regardless of whether they’re selected as one of the final few who will actually be a part of the big take-off in the USA next October, the one chosen by Pioneers will be invited to the accompanying launch event.
This is not a hunt for a celebrity headline-maker. It’s about finding ordinary, positive people with a relentless thirst to push humanity’s boundaries – and who know how to tell the story of their experiences of course! Apart from that, hopeful astronauts need only to be 18 years of age and fluent in English.
Executive Director of Space for Humanity Matt Kuta (below) said, “We’re expecting over 10,000 submissions for the chance to be one of the eight people on the first mission, and we know that a lot of great candidates will come from the Pioneers community. What we’re looking for is diverse candidates representing groups that haven’t traditionally experienced space. They must have the skills to be able to articulate their experience – and why it was profound – when they come back to earth.”
The founder of Space for Humanity is Dylan Taylor, a thought leader and futurist who believes that space travel has the power to unify humanity, by highlighting the arbitrary nature of the boundaries we create. In 2017 he became the first private citizen to manufacture an item in space, when he 3D printed the gravity meter he co-designed, on the International Space Station.
Space for Humanity ultimately plans to send people to space, free of charge, on a regular basis. “Our focus is to get citizen astronauts to experience the ‘overview effect’, return to earth and then impact their communities,” concludes Taylor.
Are YOU a space pioneer? Then here’s that link to the Facebook post that might change your world view forever!
Terms & Conditions
- The nominee must-be healthy enough to fly and 18yrs+
- The trip is for 1 person, incl. flights and accommodation
- Date of Launch Party might be subject to change, in line with the first mission final date and it is the right of the organizers to reschedule
- The trip cannot be traded for money, bartered or exchanged
For more details on Terms & Conditions of the travel to the edge of space, pls visit spaceforhumanity.org.
