Phoenix Professor Lands Spot On Billionaire's Private Space-X Flight

A Phoenix science professor won a spot on a billionaire's private Space X flight, reported KTAR News.

The community college geoscience professor, Sian Proctor, 51, told the Associated Press, "It was like when Harry Potter found out he was a wizard, a little bit of shock and awe. It's like, 'I'm the winner?'"

Proctor studied geology and applied three times to NASA's astronaut corps. She came close in 2009, and took part in simulated Mars missions in Hawaii.

There were two spots left on the flight that were up for grabs. Along with Proctor, a former Air Force missileman from Everett, Washington, Chris Sembroski, won a seat.

The Space X Dragon capsule is set to launch no earlier than mid-September, and is aiming for an altitude of 335 miles, which is 75 miles higher than the International Space Station and on a level with the Hubble Space Telescope.

The flight sponsor Jared Isaacman, 38, will serve as the spacecraft commander, but won't say how much he is paying for the flight. Alongside funding the flight, he is raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Isaacman is donating $100 million to St. Jude's.

Proctor plans to one day teach and create art from space. She said, "To me, everything that I've done has brought me to this moment."

Photo: Getty Images