Amy Held

From the edge of space back down to the West Texas desert, Mihi Benthouse was still beaming as she emerged from the Blue Origin space capsule.

She joined five others on the 10-minute flight, seven years after suffering a spinal injury in a bike accident.

The aerospace engineer uses a wheelchair, but for a short time Saturday, she felt unconstrained, using a special strap to keep her legs bound in microgravity.

Blue Origin sponsored her flight.

The price tag is not made public, as space tourism today is largely for the wealthy and powerful.

Benthouse says she hopes her story inspires others.

And she says, let's not stop here.

Amy Held, NPR News.

Think of it as a nighttime salutation from the sun. Sent Friday, a powerful coronal mass ejection that's basically a chunk of the sun erupted, says the Space Weather Prediction Center, hurtling toward Earth. Charged particles colliding with our atmosphere can create an aurora, also known as the Northern Lights. Shimmering sheets of purples, blues, and greens.

Think of it as a nighttime salutation from the sun. Sent Friday, a powerful coronal mass ejection that's basically a chunk of the sun erupted, says the Space Weather Prediction Center, hurtling toward Earth. Charged particles colliding with our atmosphere can create an aurora, also known as the Northern Lights. Shimmering sheets of purples, blues, and greens.

Tonight's could be visible as far south as Alabama, forecasters say, all the way to Northern California. On a five-point scale, they put this geomagnetic storm at four. That's severe, but less intense than last year's that lit up skies the world over and disrupted some power and communication systems. This time, forecasters say, GPS and voltage control problems are possible. Amy Held, NPR News.

Tonight's could be visible as far south as Alabama, forecasters say, all the way to Northern California. On a five-point scale, they put this geomagnetic storm at four. That's severe, but less intense than last year's that lit up skies the world over and disrupted some power and communication systems. This time, forecasters say, GPS and voltage control problems are possible. Amy Held, NPR News.

Think of it as a nighttime salutation from the sun. Sent Friday, a powerful coronal mass ejection that's basically a chunk of the sun erupted, says the Space Weather Prediction Center, hurtling toward Earth. Charged particles colliding with our atmosphere can create an aurora, also known as the Northern Lights. Shimmering sheets of purples, blues, and greens.

Think of it as a nighttime salutation from the sun. Sent Friday, a powerful coronal mass ejection that's basically a chunk of the sun erupted, says the Space Weather Prediction Center, hurtling toward Earth. Charged particles colliding with our atmosphere can create an aurora, also known as the Northern Lights. Shimmering sheets of purples, blues, and greens.

Tonight's could be visible as far south as Alabama, forecasters say, all the way to Northern California. On a five-point scale, they put this geomagnetic storm at four. That's severe, but less intense than last year's that lit up skies the world over and disrupted some power and communication systems. This time, forecasters say, GPS and voltage control problems are possible. Amy Held, NPR News.

Tonight's could be visible as far south as Alabama, forecasters say, all the way to Northern California. On a five-point scale, they put this geomagnetic storm at four. That's severe, but less intense than last year's that lit up skies the world over and disrupted some power and communication systems. This time, forecasters say, GPS and voltage control problems are possible. Amy Held, NPR News.

E-C-L-A-I-R-C-I-S-S-E-M-E-N-T. Faison Zaki fell down as Confetti rained down, overwhelmed with his win. Go! The 13-year-old can spell words, but struggled to find words. Eclair C. Small means a clearing up. And in his fourth competition, the seventh grader from the Dallas area cleared up any doubts, moving from 370th place in 2019 to runner-up last year.

E-C-L-A-I-R-C-I-S-S-E-M-E-N-T. Faison Zaki fell down as Confetti rained down, overwhelmed with his win. Go! The 13-year-old can spell words, but struggled to find words. Eclair C. Small means a clearing up. And in his fourth competition, the seventh grader from the Dallas area cleared up any doubts, moving from 370th place in 2019 to runner-up last year.

This year, he prevailed over three days, 21 rounds, and nearly 250 contestants. Scripps is marking a century of spelling since 1925, inspiring word nerds from around the world. Amy Held, NPR News.

This year, he prevailed over three days, 21 rounds, and nearly 250 contestants. Scripps is marking a century of spelling since 1925, inspiring word nerds from around the world. Amy Held, NPR News.