Stars and stripes found in attic to be sent into space

● US astronaut taken aback to find 100-year-old flag

A stars and stripes flag found in an attic at Glamis Castle is to go into space.

The old star spangled banner was spotted by Nasa astronaut Doug Wheelock on a private tour of the castle in Angus, which was the childhood home of the late Queen Mother.

The flag dates from the early 1900s and has 48 stars instead of 50. Mr Wheelock, who has made two trips to the International Space Station, could

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not believe that his country’s flag was in a Scottish castle and immediately started taking photographs to show his friends back at Nasa’s headquarters in Houston.

His interest and enthusiasm was noticed by Kirriemuir man John Smith, a former Nasa security consultant who started the Scottish Space School which has brought many astronauts to speak to children in Scotland.

Mr Smith relayed the astronaut’s enthusiasm to Mary, Dowager Countess of Strathmore at Glamis Castle, who offered Mr Wheelock the flag to take into space.

Mr Wheelock, who is due to go into space again in two years’ time, collected the flag at Glamis Castle on Saturday. He said: “It was June 2015 when I had the tour of the castle and got to see some of the out of the way places that tourists don’t normally get to see.

“We went into an attic room where there were some flags hanging and of course the stars and stripes caught by eye.

“I counted 48 stars and I realised it was an old flag from the early 1900s before we had the last two states.

“I took lots of pictures of it and I told all my friends ‘you wouldn’t believe what I saw in an old castle in Scotland’.

“I wasn’t expecting to then be offered the flag to take into space, which of course I’m very excited to do.”

Mr Wheelock has spent 178 days in space and done six space walks and “takes credit” for teaching British astronaut Tim Peake how to space walk.

He added: “I can’t wait to unfurl it aboard the space station. My goal would be to get a nice clear day as we are over Scotland and get a picture with the flag and the UK in the background.

“It’s such an honour. I feel a great connection to Scotland – I’m from the north eastof the US which is very rural with lots of hills and trees. Scotland feels very much like home.

“I flew on the space shuttle Discovery, which was named after the Discovery ship that is in Dundee. I feel a great connection to the Scottish people.”