Idaho gold medalist snowboarder selected for first civilian flight around the moon

Courtesy: Idaho Statesman
HAILEY (Idaho Statesman) – An Olympic gold medalist snowboarder from Idaho might be going to the moon.
Kaitlyn Farrington, a Hailey-born snowboarder who won gold in the women’s halfpipe at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, was selected as a backup crew member for the dearMoon lunar tourism mission.
The dearMoon project is financed by Japanese billionaire and art collector Yusaku Maezawa and will use a SpaceX Starship to conduct the first civilian flight around the moon on a six-day tour. Farrington, 33, is one of two backup members and will step in if one of the other eight selected crew members backs out.
As a backup crew member, Farrington will undergo the training and preparation required to take the trip and be prepared for future flights. Farrington was selected from more than 1 million applications worldwide.
“I remember the day I won my Olympic gold medal and my feelings about it not seeming like real life,” Farrington wrote on her Instagram. “This is pretty similar! I am beyond excited to be part of this mission as a backup crew member. I can’t wait for what’s in store!”
Farrington grew up on a cattle ranch near Sun Valley and was invited to join the United States Snowboard Team at 17. She made her Olympic debut at the 2014 Winter Olympics before a neck injury eight months after winning Olympic gold forced her into early retirement.
“I want to be the storyteller of this mission and be somebody that’s relatable for people coming from an athlete perspective and just to tell the story of this whole mission,” Farrington said in a YouTube video on dearMoon’s channel.
Maezawa announced the project in 2018 and plans to launch in 2023. However, SpaceX still needs to acquire an experimental permit and vehicle operator license from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation to launch the vehicle.
Here is the rest of Maezawa’s crew, predominantly made up of individuals with artistic talents:

Steve Aoki – An American DJ from Miami who has released several Billboard-charting studio albums and collaborated with artists such as Linkin Park, Backstreet Boys and blink-182.

Tim Dodd – An American YouTube content creator famous for his channel Everyday Astronaut. He’s interviewed SpaceX founder Elon Musk on his channel multiple times.

Yemi A.D. – An artist and choreographer from the Czech Republic who’s worked with Ye (formerly Kanye West).

Karim Iliya – A photographer based in Hawaii whose work has appeared in publications such as National Geographic Magazine.

Rhiannon Adam – An Irish photographer supported by the BBC Royal Geographical Society to travel to a remote island in the South Pacific Ocean.

Brendan Hall – An American filmmaker most notable for his two-hour documentary “Blood Sugar Rising,” which focuses on diabetes in the U.S.

Dev Joshi – An Indian television actor famous for his role in the shows Baal Veer and Baalveer Returns.

T.O.P. – A South Korean rapper part of the Korean boy band BIGBANG.

Miyu – A backup crew member alongside Farrington, Miyu is a Japanese dancer.

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Source: eastidahonews.com