Astronaut Ron Garan Joins Balloon-Based Space Tourism Company

Arizona-based World View Enterprises, which aims to begin crewed operational flights by the end of 2017, has tapped Ron Garan as its chief pilot, the company announced today (Feb. 23). "The name of the company is 'World View' for a reason," said Garan, who flew on the 2008 STS-124 mission of the space shuttle Discovery and spent six months aboard the International Space Station in 2011. "They share a belief that I have — that seeing the planet from the vantage point that you'll b