Stern fulfilled a lifelong ambition earlier this month after participating in numerous space missions throughout his career: visiting space himself.
On Nov. 2, he flew on board the Cosmic business spaceship VSS Solidarity on a suborbital space mission to prepare for a future NASA-supported trip in which he will perform tests in space.
Stern expressed pride in being a part of “a new era of space research,” describing the excursion as “an incredible human experience.” This is the first time SwRI has funded and sent a member of its own team into space.
During the extended flight, he encountered weightlessness for three minutes.
“It was practically incredible,” he said. ” I like to tell individuals it’s the greatest day ever working.”