Fulfilling a life long dream to be an astronaut, May was given the opportunity to fly to the edge of space in a Lockheed U-2 spy plane. To do this he first had to spend three days training with the United States Air Force at Beale Air Force Base and then learning how to use a space suit correctly. Following this he was shown being taken on a 3 hour flight reaching an altitude of over 70,000 feet, piloted by instructor pilot Major John "Cabi" Cabigas.
This programme tied in with another May documentary an hour earlier on BBC Two called James May on the Moon to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landings.
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