Jon Goodwin is an astronaut, and has Parkinson’s

In the first private astronaut mission of its kind, Jon Goodwin was a member of the passenger crew on board Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity.

Jon was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014 and, now aged 80, was the second person with the condition to fly to space. He was also the first ever Olympian to make the journey, having competed in canoeing at the 1972 Summer Munich Games.

Joining Jon was Keisha Schahaff from the Caribbean Islands and her daughter Anastatia Mayers, raised in Antigua and Barbuda and now studying in Aberdeen. They were the first mother and daughter to travel to space together.

Jon is dedicated to raising awareness for Parkinson’s and the importance of research into finding a cure, and hopes that taking part in this mission will help shine a spotlight on the condition.  

When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014 I was determined to not let it stand in the way of living life to the fullest. I hope this inspires all others facing adversity.

Jon Goodwin

What an amazing endeavour.  All of us at Cure Parkinson’s are celebrating Jon’s determination to raise awareness of the need to find a cure, by drawing attention to Parkinson’s in this truly inspirational way. Our recent survey, commissioned as part of our Change The Future campaign, showed a worrying lack of awareness about Parkinson’s among the UK public and through this mission Jon is helping to change that.

Helen Matthews, forthcoming CEO, Cure Parkinson’s