The first mother-daughter duo to fly in space told they felt more grounded and connected to Earth after venturing to the final frontier.
Keisha Schahaff, 46, and her daughter Anastatia Mayers, 18, of Antigua, made the comments hours after they took part in Virgin Galactic’s first tourist space flight.
“This experience grounded me.” “Woke me up,” Mayers said when asked what’s next for the crew after the incredible mission.
“I feel more connected to the earth and motivated to explore it and be even more adventurous.”
Schahaff and her daughter won seats in the rocket-powered spaceplane, which would normally cost $450,000 per person, in a fundraiser raffle.
“Of course there is nothing better,” concluded Mayers after the flight. However, the teenager, who is now the second youngest person to have ever gone into space, revealed last night that she had “thinked twice” about doing it at all.
Keisha Schahaff (right), 46, and her daughter Anastatia Mayers (left), 18, said they felt more grounded and motivated in life after going into space
Also joining mother and daughter was Jon Goodwin, 80, who is now the first Olympian and second person with Parkinson’s to go into space.
It’s been a long time coming for Goodwin, who paid $250,000 for his seat in 2005.
Mayers is a sophomore in philosophy and physics at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland to become an astrobiologist.
She told reporters about her feelings of uncertainty about the space flight on Wednesday night.
“Last night I reconsidered, but then I woke up and felt like I was ready,” Mayers said.
Schaffaf also felt motivated after the space flight.
“I’m going to have a big impact in motivating the younger generation,” she replied to ‘s question.
“This experience gave me the beautiful feeling that if I can do this, I can do anything.” “I’ll take the next step and see what comes.”
Goodwin also spoke to reporters after the historic mission and shared that his Parkinson’s disease hasn’t stopped him from living his life. He was diagnosed in 2014.
The pair were joined by former Jon Goodwin, 80, who is now the first Olympian and second person with Parkinson’s to go into space.
The first mother-daughter duo in space told they feel more connected to Earth after the mission
“The best thing for me was being accepted by Virgin Galactic because when I signed up in September 2005 I didn’t have Parkinson’s disease.
“Nine years ago I thought this would be the end of my journey into space. They have done various health checks and everything else over the years which has never stopped me from doing what I wanted.
“I hope to be able to teach people around the world, including people with Parkinson’s, that having a disease that’s been killing you doesn’t stop you from doing things.”
The crew took off at 8:30 a.m. MT from Spaceport America, New Mexico, strapped into Virgin Galactic’s Unity spaceplane, which was attached to the underside of the mothership Eve.
The planes rose to more than 44,000 feet above the Earth’s surface, allowing Unity to separate by igniting their engines.
The crew took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico after saying goodbye to friends and family in the crowd
Pictured is the moment the spaceplane and mothership separated during spaceflight
Unity lifted off, rose 50 miles above the surface and floated in place to allow passengers to experience weightlessness and incredible views of our planet.
Goodwin, from Newcastle, England, described being a passenger on Virgin Galactic’s first space tourism flight as “completely surreal” and “very moving”.
“It was way more dramatic than I imagined.” It was the sheer acceleration – Mach 3 in eight and a half seconds – that was completely surreal, and the re-entry was way more dramatic than I imagined.
“In fact, I would have said it was out of control if I hadn’t known otherwise. But it was a completely surreal experience.
“The most impressive thing was seeing the earth from space – the sheer clarity was very moving. Without a doubt the most exciting day of my life.”
Goodwin added that the flight was “surpassed.” [his] “Wildest Dreams” and hoped it would inspire others with Parkinson’s to do unusual things.
Anastatia Mayers enjoys the incredible view of outer space. She flew 50 miles above the surface of the earth with her mother
Schahaff, together with her daughter, won an airfield.
The pair were the first pair of astronauts from the Caribbean and were part of the first female-dominated flight.
“I’m still up there, I’m not here yet, and it’s just amazing that you can land on the runway so smoothly when returning from space,” said Schahaff:
“It was so comfortable, it really was the best ride ever and I would love to do it again.”
She said sand from her home country of Antigua and Barbuda, the country’s flag and her favorite seashell were among the possessions she took with her on the Virgin Galactic flight.
Mayers took a ring given to her by her boyfriend and pictures of loved ones.
Goodwin reached into his pocket and pulled out jewelry belonging to his wife Pauline, a former Olympian.
Pauline was at the spaceport on Thursday to cheer on her husband, son, grandchildren and daughter-in-law.
Virgin Galactic’s first private flight has been delayed for years, but Thursday’s mission means Richard Branson’s company can now begin offering monthly flights, joining Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the space tourism business.