Mother and Daughter Make History in Space

Mother-daughter bonding activities often involve shopping, hikes, or brunch. But Anastatia Mayers and her mother, Keisha Schahaff, redefined quality time by embarking on a groundbreaking adventure—space travel. Anastatia, an 18-year-old student at the University of Aberdeen, won a spot on Virgin Galactic’s Galactic 02 flight, and she chose to take her mother along.

Anastatia’s journey to space began unexpectedly. While flying from Antigua to London, she saw an advertisement for a free spot on a Virgin Galactic flight. What started as a hopeful entry turned into a surreal win. After progressing through various finalist rounds, Anastatia was declared the winner, leading to a life-changing encounter with Richard Branson himself.

Commercial seats on this flight, priced exorbitantly at $450,000, didn’t deter Anastatia and her mother from the unique experience. On August 10, 2023, they made history as the first mother-daughter duo to reach suborbital space, soaring to about 279,000 feet (nearly 53 miles). Anastatia, the second youngest person in space, proudly sported flags of Scotland and Antigua on her arm while gazing at Earth.

Sharing this remarkable journey with them was British Olympian Jon Goodwin, who secured his place as the first Olympian in space. Videos captured their weightless float and awe-inspiring views of Earth. For Keisha, the significance of achieving this milestone with her daughter transcends words. She expressed, “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.”

This mother-daughter duo’s celestial journey is etched in history, redefining the heights of family adventures.

Re-reported from the article originally published in My Modern Met