Space travel as a unifier? Adler honors woman helping launch Virgin Galactic – Chicago Tribune

Beth Moses believes many of the world's differences can be solved by getting people off of it. Space travel, she said, could be a great unifier.

"You don't see borders or strife from space. You see a connected world," the aerospace engineer said. "It gives us a perspective of our place on it."

She's on a mission to help more folks get that perspective.

Moses is helping to usher in the age of space as a travel experience, heading training for customers of the Virgin Galactic commercial spaceline. Theformer NASA engineer, whoworked on the International Space Station, accepted the Women in Space Science Award from the Adler Planetarium's Women's Board Thursday at The Drake Hotel.

Moses, who grew up in Northbrook and took classes at the Adler while in high school, now lives outside Los Angeles. She addressed an audience of family, friends and admirers before speaking at a program for girls at the planetarium.

About 559 of the world's 7 billion people have visited space, mostly government employees on specific missions, she said. Soon, though, anyone with $250,000 could be anastronaut, if Virgin has its way.

More than 700 people have paid that cost up-front, she said, and are waiting to go on the two- to two-and-a-half-hour-long trips once flight test programs are completed.

Moses will beresponsible for customers' safety, preparation and athree-day training program that will precede the trip.

Space-travel hopefuls include the affluent, as well as those who have mortgaged their homes to take the trips, looking to experience weightlessness or the view.

The company aims to get the price down, she said.

"I want to be able to say, 'You get to have your zen experience! And you get to have your selfie with the Earth!'" she said.

Cheryl V . Jackson is a freelance writer.Twitter@cherylvjackson

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Space travel as a unifier? Adler honors woman helping launch Virgin Galactic - Chicago Tribune