Mother and daughter first to go to space together

An 18-year-old Aberdeen University pupil and her parent volition question to abstraction aboriginal this week aft a winning a spot connected Virgin Galactic's archetypal commercialized formation successful a prize draw.

Anastatia Mayers and her mum Keisha Schahaff volition beryllium the archetypal parent and girl to spell to space.

They volition besides beryllium the archetypal radical from the Caribbean to marque the journey.

Keisha was travelling to the UK to benignant retired her daughter's visa erstwhile she entered the competition.

She was connected a Virgin Atlantic formation from Antigua to London erstwhile abruptly an advert popped up.

"I filled retired this sweepstake and past abruptly months aboriginal I'm getting correspondences saying that you're a apical 20 finalist, past a apical 5 finalist, to becoming a winner," she says.

"Suddenly, who's walking into my yard? Richard Branson. The full squad conscionable swarmed into my location saying 'you're the winner, you're going to space'."

Anastatia says it was her determination to question from the Caribbean to survey successful Scotland that led to the accidental to spell space.

"Had I not randomly chosen Aberdeen University and had we not had to instrumentality a monolithic detour to get my visa - we wouldn't beryllium going to space," she says.

"I consciousness similar a batch of things had to hap astatine precise circumstantial moments for america to extremity up here."

The second-year doctrine and physics pupil says coming to survey successful Scotland was 1 of the biggest decisions of her beingness but it has "led to magnificent things happening".

The brace volition instrumentality disconnected from New Mexico connected Thursday.

The mission, named Galactic 02 is the 2nd commercialized spaceflight conducted by the American abstraction company, and the archetypal with paying customers onboard.

The advertised terms for a thrust connected the rocket level has been arsenic precocious arsenic $450,000 (£350,000).

The Galactic 01 ngo took spot successful June. It reached an altitude of 279,000ft (85km). It is thought the 2nd ngo volition effort the aforesaid path.

Anastatia, who volition beryllium the 2nd youngest idiosyncratic to spell to space, says she hopes she tin usage the acquisition to animate others.

"That would beryllium precise important to me, some successful Scotland and Antigua and anyplace other I person immoderate ties," she says.

"I bash anticipation that radical are watching and supporting.

"My volition is to conscionable interruption immoderate barriers that we acceptable for ourselves oregon that the satellite sets for us.

"I privation radical to cognize that it doesn't substance wherever you travel from, who you are - thing - your imagination is your imagination and you tin marque that happen, contempt what anyone other says."

Keisha adds: "For maine and my girl together, it's much than a imagination travel true.

"This is my kid, I emotion her with each my heart, and to cognize that we some stock the aforesaid goal, the aforesaid dream, that is ace implicit the moon."

The brace volition beryllium joined erstwhile Team GB Olympian Jon Goodwin from Newcastle. He volition go the 2nd idiosyncratic with Parkinson's to spell to abstraction arsenic good arsenic the archetypal Olympian.