“Being in space and viewing the Earth with one’s own eyes is such a calming and heartwarming experience,” said one person who had the opportunity to do so.
Ana Mayers, then 18 years old, was floating weightlessly in space two weeks ago while experiencing zero gravity. Oh, I almost forgot—she accompanied her mother.
They were the first mother and daughter team to go to space together and were on Virgin Galactic’s maiden tourist trip together with former Olympian Jon Goodwin. They were also the first tourists to journey into space together.
A fortnight has passed, and Ana has decided to continue her education at the University of Aberdeen, where she will study philosophy in addition to physics.
Newsbeat was able to catch up with the student just before she boarded her flight from Antigua, which is located in the Caribbean, back to Scotland earlier.
She describes the encounter as “simply incredibly connected and emotional throughout its whole.”
“I can’t even begin to describe how fantastic the view is; it’s beyond words.
“It has helped me become a lot more aware of the fact that we need to enjoy Earth and make use of this chance to truly explore and develop a connection with nature,” she said. “It has made me more conscious of the fact that we need to cherish Earth.”
After returning from their mission in space, Anastasia (Ana) Mayers, Jon Goodwin, and Keisha Schapaff embrace each other. Jon is adopting Ana, who is standing on his left, and Keisha, who is standing to his right. Ana, an African-American lady who is 18 years old, wears her hair in long braids that are pulled back into a ponytail. She flashes a grin for the camera while showing off the piercings she has received on the nasal bridge, septum, and upper lip. She is seen wearing a black T-shirt that has the word “Galactic” printed in purple across the front of it. Jon, who is seen wearing the same T-shirt, seems to be experiencing some emotion while smiling for the camera. Jon is a white guy in his 80s with short white hair, a white beard, and rimless spectacles. He also sports a pair of glasses with no rims. Keisha, a black lady in her forties who is likewise smiling and seems to be experiencing some emotion, is standing to his right. Keisha wears her bleached-blonde hair in braids down to her midsection, and she ties them behind her head. She has on a striped T-shirt that is white, brown, green, and orange, and she is pressing her right palm to her face.
After their voyage into space, Ana, her mother, Keisha, and Ana’s stepfather, Jon Goodwin, were all beaming with happiness. Ana and her mother, Keisha Schahaff, both 46 years old, won a competition to secure their spot on the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
And according to Ana, she claims that she was really napping in the dorms when she found out the news.
“My mother FaceTimed me at a pretty odd hour that night, and the screen was completely filled with just my face; you couldn’t see anything else,” she adds. “You couldn’t see anything else.”
“When Richard Branson answered the phone, I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
First-ever passenger space journey successfully completed by Virgin Galactic
Student kept his goal of space travel a secret from his coworkers. Billionaire Richard Branson launches rockets to the edge of space
On August 10th, the three of them lifted out from Spaceport America in New Mexico with Jon, who was 80 years old.
They were able to experience zero gravity at a height of around 85 kilometers (280,000 feet), where they also received a unique perspective of the globe below them. The journey lasted approximately 90 minutes.
Although there was a significant amount of preparation for the space tourists’ journey, Ana reports that she had “no anxieties” when it came time for them to eventually take off. It is not unexpected that this was the case.
“It seems like you’re just on a typical commercial trip, and it was extremely calm,” she recalls. “It was an amazing experience overall.”
“But I do remember when they began counting down like saying three minutes to release, one minute to release, I was like ‘oh my God, this is actually happening,'” she said. “But I do remember when they started counting down like saying three minutes to release, one minute to release.”
“I simply couldn’t contain my enthusiasm any longer.”
Pictured above is Anastasia at her place of employment, a burrito bar in Aberdeen. Ana is a young African-American lady who wears her hair in long braids, some of which are dyed white and purple. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail and covered with a baseball hat. In addition to that, she has on a grey work apron that she wears over a grey T-shirt. She is grinning for the camera and has piercings on the bridge of her nose, septum, and lip. She also has piercings in her ears. She is posing with a burrito that looks like a rocket ship, which she has wrapped in foil.
Ana, who works in a burrito bar in Aberdeen, Scotland, claims that she thinks of the city as her “second home,” caption for this image
Ana claims that she has never “been so interested with anything in my life” before and that this space voyage has been the most engaging experience of her life.
As a result of her triumphant return to Earth, an increasing number of people look to her as a source of motivation.
She adds, “I am extremely grateful to be able to motivate such a large number of people.”
“I really hope that it broadens people’s perspectives, not just regarding the topic of space but also about other aspects of life.
I genuinely hope that it motivates students to take themselves seriously, as well as to put in the necessary amount of work and effort.
“If you genuinely want chances to find you, you have to be open and ready for them to do so.”
