German engineer becomes first wheelchair user to visit space

German engineer Michaela Benthaus, who has paraplegia, traveled to space with Jeff Bezos' company Blue Origin.

German engineer Michaela Benthaus on Saturday became the first person with paraplegia to travel to space.

Benthaus, who is 33, was exuberant about her experience in space in comments made after her return to Earth. "It was the coolest experience ever, honestly," the engineer, who works at the European Space Agency (ESA), said.

Benthaus sustained a spinal injury during a mountain bike accident at the age of 26 and now uses a wheelchair.