Johannesburg, 05 Dec 2005
Julie Krause, a married 27-year-old mother of one, is likely to go down in history as the first South African woman to travel to space.
Krause, from Centurion in Pretoria, was drawn as the overall winner of the space trip in the eBucks and First National Bank Greatest Rewards on Earth promotion.
She was randomly selected as the winner from among 10 finalists. The competition had close to 2.5 million entries, which were received during the three-month long competition.
Krause will be one of the first 150 space tourists on the sub-orbital space "aeroplanes" expected to start service in two to three years` time. She will receive a five-day training course, as part of her preparations for the seat on the sub-orbital space flight.
She will follow the footsteps of the likes of Mark Shuttleworth, Mike Melville and Elon Musk, pioneers who are involved in making space tourism a reality.
"I am an ordinary wife and mother with an ordinary job. I cannot believe that I`ll be flying into space. This just shows all South Africans and especially women, that they are capable of doing anything," says Krause.
The prize includes return tickets for Krause and a partner to the point of departure, all meals and accommodation for the duration of the stay.
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