the words I've been waiting to hear!
Hello, it’s Ken Baxter from sunny Las Vegas and welcome to my blog. All I can say is that it has been an amazing couple of months and I can’t wait to share all of the exciting things going on in my world.
I can tell you the absolute best part is that the time has finally come for me to realize my dream of going into space!
For those of you who may not have heard my story, once upon a time, back in 2004, I took an incredible leap of faith and purchased the very FIRST ticket on Richard Branson’s space tourism venture, Virgin Galactic. Spaceflight has always been a dream of mine and finally a chance to achieve it presented itself.
As the years have ticked by I have celebrated the fantastic successes and shared the deep sorrow of the brilliant group of people that have poured their lives into making this dream a reality.
Then came November 29, 2022; a truly HISTORIC day for all of the incredibly patient, original Founders who took a chance on making their dreams come true.
the founders' draw
Watch the video
18 years later, the luck of the draw rewards Ken Baxter’s leap of faith and persistence with the coveted Reservation #1!
The Virgin Galactic Founders’ Draw was conducted during a private Zoom call using a random ball selector shown in the video above. Each of the original Founders were also randomly assigned their unique identifier number … mine was #71. With only 47 slots available, there was a chance that I would not be selected at all!
As the draw began, my wife Linda and I were on the edge of our seats, the suspense was so unbearable I could barely breathe. The selector machine sprang to life, tossing balls like kernels of popcorn. As charismatic as ever, Sir Richard Branson personally retrieved each of the randomly selected balls that would determine the order of the Founders’ flights. As the first ball popped up I heard my wife Linda scream, “That’s you Ken!” I felt myself let out a deep breath and let this stunning example of luck and deliverance sink in. The die has been cast, I am Reservation #1!
It has been an 18 year journey to this monumental day, the video below chronicles that trek. The estimated launch is sometime during Q2 of this year. And away we go!
As the day of my flight draws closer, I am more and more excited that my childhood dream will soon become a reality! If you would like to discuss I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or contact me directly at rocketman@kenbaxter.com
