“This is it; we are really going to space today. It’s really an amazing feeling,” is what Rex Walheim thought moments before he launched to space. The Ax-1 crew can relate to these feelings when they felt the rumble and jolt of the rocket during liftoff, that was when reality hit. This is it.
As a former NASA astronaut and veteran of three spaceflights, Rex Walheim is Axiom’s Director of Safety & Mission Assurance. He logged more than 36 hours on five spacewalks, spent more than 36 days in space, and was on the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.
Walheim joined Bettina Inclán, communications director of Axiom Space, to share his insight as a former astronaut and how it compares to being on the other side of human spaceflight – from the ground. Walheim discussed the importance of applying lessons learned from the past during this new era of space travel, significance of short-duration missions, and benefits of expanding access to space to individuals around the world.