A high day for mother Keisha Schahaff (46) and daughter Anastatia Mayers (18): the inhabitants of the island of Antigua go into space, after they came out as winners in… a raffle for charity. A ticket with Virgin Galactic normally costs $ 450,000 (408,000 euros).
LOOK. Mother and daughter win trip to space:
At 5:28 p.m. (Belgian time) the missile disconnected from the aircraft over the desert of the US state of New Mexico. It is only the space company’s second commercial flight. In June, that honor was given to two senior officers from the Italian Air Force and an engineer from the Italian National Research Council. They took the opportunity to conduct some experiments.
For Anastatia and Keisha, however, it will be pure enjoyment. And that thanks to a stupid coincidence two years ago: daughter decided to continue her studies in Scotland, but it became quite a hassle to arrange her visa.
“Richard Branson in my garden”
“For the administrative part, we had to travel from Antigua to another Caribbean island. A flight that normally takes an hour, but we had to make a huge detour via London. In the end, it took us sixteen hours,” says Anastatia.
During that Virgin Atlantic flight, a pop-up appeared on the screen. To win: a space trip, if you participated in a raffle for charity. Keisha previously filled in her details as a joke. “A few months later I get the message that I am among the last twenty candidates,” the woman tells the BBC. “And who is suddenly in my garden? Richard Branson, along with a whole team to congratulate me.” She didn’t have to hesitate for long about the partner she could take with her…
© AP
Scoop
Anastatia is now in her second year of philosophy and physics at the University of Aberdeen. She becomes the second youngest person ever to go to space. Mother and daughter together, that is certainly a first.
“It was a tough gamble to continue my studies in Scotland. But that decision has already given me so many wonderful moments. Hopefully I can inspire others with this as well. The boundaries the world imposes on us must be broken. Whoever you are or wherever you come from, your dreams can come true,” concludes Anastatia.
The duo will be joined by Parkinson’s patient Jon Goodwin. The man put $ 250,000 on the table eighteen years ago to secure a ticket. “With this I want to prove that this disease does not determine my life,” it sounds. In 1972 he took part in the Olympic Games as a canoeist.
© AFP
Up to 85 kilometers high
Unlike other companies, the rocket does not take off from the ground. It hangs under an airplane. Together they take off from Spaceport America airport. When the pilots and flight control are ready, the plane drops the missile at an altitude of 10 to 15 kilometers.
When the rocket is detached from the plane, its engines turn on. In two minutes he shoots to an altitude of 85 kilometers. There is the edge of the atmosphere and the universe begins. Occupants are weightless at that height for a few minutes. They see the curvature of the earth and the infinity of the universe.
The plane doesn’t go high and fast enough to get into orbit around the Earth. After a while, gravity pulls the craft back toward Earth. Then the landing begins and the hover ends. The journey takes about an hour and a half in total.
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2023-08-10 15:48:28
#Mother #daughter #win #raffle #travel #space
