After giving away his seat on a private trip to space, Kyle Hippchen said “I’m insanely disappointed. But it is what it is,” Keeping a low profile, hardly anyone knew that the airline pilot could have been on board when SpaceX launched its first tourists into orbit last year. Kyle Hippchen was the real winner of the first-of-its-kind sweepstakes and gave it to his college roommate.
Even though Hippchen’s secret is out, it doesn’t make it any easier knowing he missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The chance to orbit Earth and actually experience true weightlessness is something many humans will never do. Unfortunately, Hippchen couldn’t make the flight because he exceeded the weight limit.
Hippchen is 43-years-of-age and is a Florida-based captain for Delta’s regional carrier Endeavor Air. He only recently shattered this story with the Associated Press during his first visit to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. After being let down by SpaceX’s weight requirement, he offered the trip to a person he knew would treasure the moment. He explained “It was their show, and I didn’t want to be distracting too much from what they were doing,”
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