Astrophotographer may become first out gay man in space
(Photo courtesy of Jon Carmichael)
Jon Carmichael could become the first openly gay man to travel to space, and he says it’s “about time.”
An astrophotographer and pilot, Carmichael is applying to the Inspiration 4 program — the first all-civilian space mission. The trip will be led by pilot Jared Isaacman, the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, a company that supports e-commerce platforms.
The spacecraft will take four people to travel in Earth’s orbit for three to five days. The launch date has not been determined, but it will be no earlier than October.
Carmichael, 34, says he has had an interest in space since he was a kid.
“It’s my lifelong dream now to go to space, and it’s actually more realistic now,” he told the Washington Blade. “It actually could happen.”