UK uni student wins trip into space with mum after entering competition on plane
A mum and daughter will blast off into space this week – the first to do so together.
Eighteen-year-old Aberdeen University student Anastatia Mayers and her mum Keisha Schahaff will blast off from New Mexico on Thursday after winning a place on the Virgin Galactic’s second commercial flight.
They will also be the first people from the Caribbean to make the journey. Keisha, 46, was travelling to the UK to sort out her daughter’s visa when she entered the competition. She was on a Virgin Atlantic flight from Antigua to London when suddenly an advert popped up.
“I filled out this sweepstake and then suddenly months later I’m getting correspondences saying that you’re a top 20 finalist, then a top five finalist, to becoming a winner,” she said.
Keisha Schahaff, 46, who will be launched into space with her daughter (PA)“Suddenly, who’s walking into my yard? Richard Branson. The whole team just swarmed into my house saying ‘you’re the winner, you’re going to space’." Anastatia says it was her decision to travel from the Caribbean to study in Scotland that led to the opportunity to go space.
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“Had I not randomly chosen Aberdeen University and had we not had to take a massive detour to get my visa - we wouldn’t be going to space,” she said. “I feel like a lot of things had to happen at very specific moments for us to end up here.
The pair won their tickets on a sweepstake (Virgin/Getty)“As a two-year-old I was fascinated by the stars, gazing up at the night sky, and dreaming of venturing into space. As I grew older, my interest in space exploration only intensified, and I aspired to become an astronaut. However, the reality of not having any avenues in my country or the Caribbean to pursue this dream left me feeling unsure.
“Nonetheless, my passion for life and the wonders of creation remained steadfast. Anything related to space ignited my curiosity. I devoured magazines, watched sci-fi movies, and delved into space-related videos.”
The second-year philosophy and physics student says coming to study in Scotland was one of the biggest decisions of her life but it has “led to magnificent things happening”. The mission, named Galactic 02 is the second commercial spaceflight conducted by the American space company, and the first with paying customers onboard.
The pair are set to make history by becoming the first mother-daughter pair to be blasted into space togetherThe advertised price for a ride on the rocket plane has been as high as £350,000. The Galactic 01 mission took place in June. It reached an altitude of 279,000ft). It is thought the second mission aboard VSS Unity will attempt the same path on a 90 minute journey.
Anastatia, who will be the second youngest person to go to space, says she hopes she can use the experience to inspire others. “That would be very important to me, both in Scotland and Antigua and anywhere else I have any ties,” she says.
“I do hope that people are watching and supporting. My intention is to just break any barriers that we set for ourselves or that the world sets for us.
The pair hope they can inspire a new generation of space explorers“I want people to know that it doesn’t matter where you come from, who you are - anything - your dream is your dream and you can make that happen, despite what anyone else says.”
Keisha added: “For me and my daughter together, it’s more than a dream come true. This is my kid, I love her with all my heart, and to know that we both share the same goal, the same dream, that is super over the moon.”
The pair will be joined former Team GB Olympian Jon Goodwin from Newcastle. He will become the second person with Parkinson’s to go to space as well as the first Olympian.
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