Family members of Tribute Flight participants watch their loved ones take flight.
"The Way West by A. B. Guthrie Jr. describes the Conestoga wagons as 'they did not work very well, they always broke down, people did not really get pass Pennsylvania in them anyway.' But the Conestoga embodies the spirit of the pioneers as they moved out west. They took what they had, they build it, they got as far as they could and moved on.
"This flight is named in honor of Conestoga 1, the world’s first privately funded mission to space--launched September 9, 1982 by Space Services Inc. of America-- from which Celestis traces its corporate history. It is appropriate for your loved ones to be on the Conestoga Flight, because they embody the spirit of exploration and adventure."
Charles M. Chafer, Celestis Founder and CEO speaking at the memorial service
ABOARD THE CONESTOGA FLIGHT
The Conestoga Flight - The Conestoga Flight logo displays a Conestoga wagon, the covered wagon that opened the American West to pioneers and settlers. The wagon also served as the inspiration for the Conestoga 1 space mission – the world’s first privately funded launch into space. Celestis Co-Founder and CEO Charles M. Chafer played a crucial role in the Conestoga 1 mission and personally approved the design of the mission logo to mirror and update the imagery used in 1982 for the first Conestoga flight. The logo displays 13 stars signifying that this was the 13th Celestis Memorial Spaceflight mission and honors UP Aerospace for their 9th flight of the SpaceLoft XL rocket.
The Conestoga Flight logo is from well-known designer and illustrator Eric Gignac. Eric’s portfolio also includes co-design of NASA Space Shuttle mission patches for the STS 128 and 133 missions.
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