Next stop space for budding astronaut
In interplanetary news, people across the Earth were glued to their screens as two US astronauts boarded the International Space Station from billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX capsule.
After a delayed launch earlier in the week, the Dragon crew capsule with Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on board lifted off on Saturday May 30, carried on the Falcon 9 rocket.
The launch, from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, was the first into orbit from American soil since 2011 – the year Ella Fyfe was born.
Eight-year-old Ella, from Lochgilphead, was among the millions watching and there would be few people outside SpaceX and NASA more enthusiastic.
Ella’s mum Lynsey explained: ‘Ella has always been fascinated with space and to say she was excited would be an understatement.
‘We watched the live launch then the following day we got to watch the docking with the ISS.’
With an ambition to go into space herself one day, Ella’s idol is Dave Mackay, chief pilot of Virgin Galactic and former RAF test pilot, who guided SpaceShipTwo, known as VSS Unity, into sub-orbital space in February 2019 before taking her safely back to a runway in the Mojave desert.
Dave, from Helmsdale, is the first native-born Scot to go into space and he was kind enough to send Ella a signed photograph.
Ella promptly returned the favour, sending the astronaut a signed photograph of herself, signing it: ‘The future first Scottish GIRL to go into space’.
Her dedication to space is such that during lockdown Ella has made it her mission to learn the names of all 79 of Jupiter’s moons.
Signing the photograph, Dave Mackay told Ella ‘aim high’ and that is her plan.
Lynsey added: ‘When she’s been into space as an astronaut, her goal is either to be a NASA scientist or teacher, a science teacher to encourage other little girls.’
‘Ella has always been fascinated with space and to say she was excited would be an understatement. We watched the live launch then the docking.’