Neither age nor gravity stopped 80-year-old Dorothy Simpson from flying into the record books. According to Guinness World Records, she recently became the world’s oldest woman to experience weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight with Space Adventures, Ltd.
“”I didn’t set out to break any records,”” says Simpson. “”But experiencing weightlessness on my Zero-G flight was absolutely unforgettable.””
Simpson’s zero-gravity flight took place aboard an Ilyushin-76 aircraft from Zhukovsky Airbase outside Moscow. The aircraft performed several parabolas, allowing her to experience moments of complete weightlessness. Four years ago, when she was 76, Simpson experienced an Edge of Space flight with Space Adventures, travelling above 80,000 feet at speeds reaching Mach 2.5 aboard a Russian MiG-25.
“”Dorothy is truly a remarkable woman,”” said Eric Anderson, president and CEO of Space Adventures. “”We’re constantly seeking adventurous spirits of any age and we look forward to celebrating many more milestones with Dorothy in the future.””
Simpson and her husband both have their pilot certificates and own a deHavilland DHC-2 Beaver. The couple’s daughter, Anne, is a 747 captain for Northwest Airlines.
