At the invitation of Elon Musk, Philip Croizon is in Florida for the takeoff and landing of the Crew Dragon capsule. He wants to convince the head of SpaceX to offer him a place on the next flight.
After Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, the companies of Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, it was SpaceX’s turn, as Elon Musk, to embark on space tourism. This Wednesday, a Falcon rocket will take off from Cape Canaveral to launch the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. On board are billionaire Jared Isaacman, a nurse, Hayley Arsenault, a teacher, Sian Proctor, and ex-Soldier Chris Sembrowski.
A Frenchman will watch them leave in the hope that they will be part of an upcoming trip. This is Philip Croison, a worker who became an athlete after losing all four limbs. Among his accomplishments are swimming across the canal in 2010 and the Paris-Dakar in 2017. He now hopes to go into space. And for that, he spoke directly to the head of SpaceX. In 2020, Elon Musk challenges on Twitter:
“Hello Elon Musk, I am a famous French athlete without arms or legs! He sent me into space to show once again that anything is possible!”
Immediate response from the head of SpaceX:
“One day we’ll fly you on the starship.”
“I will not come empty handed”
While waiting for takeoff, Elon Musk invited Philip Croizon to attend the takeoff. The two men will discuss an upcoming launch.
“Being here really is a victory. If you go to space, that’s the icing on the cake,” Philip Croizon told BFMTV.
But first, the Frenchman will have to convince the billionaire that this dream is achievable.
“My arguments are simple. Philip and Elon will meet, and we will see how a little man like me can be sent into space. Whenever I have an idea, nothing can stop me.” , explains Philip Crozon, BFMTV.
But for Philip Croison, this adventure goes beyond space travel. “Not only is it sending a man into space who has neither arms nor legs,” Philip Croizon explains, adding that it could also be used for scientific research working on smart prosthetics.
“I was in Toulouse at a company called Comate [un Concepteur et fournisseur de mécanismes spatiaux, NDLR]. We thought the prosthesis would be able to fit into the capsule. So you see, I’m not empty-handed, if I may,” warns Philip Croizon with the sense of humor that has become his trademark.
The arguments that the adventurer hopes are persuasive enough to allow him to realize his dream.
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