By day, Scott Yems pulls pints at the Moon and Stars pub – but by night he gazes up at its namesakes and dreams of seeing them up close.
Now Scott’s ambition is “one small step” closer to becoming reality as a deodorant company bids to turn 22 ordinary men into astronauts.
Lynx Apollo’s unusual promotional stunt could see the ambitious 21-year-old travelling 103km above the earth’s surface with space tourism company Spacexc.
“I’m a big dreamer,” he said. “For as long as I can remember I’ve looked at the stars and thought: ‘That’s a different world out there.’
“Only a handful of people on this planet are ever going to get the opportunity to go into space – and that opportunity has come for me.”
Scott is one of 61,559 who have entered the “Apollo Space Academy” competition. The top 200 UK entrants, chosen by public votes, will be sent to a secret location in central London to undergo a series of physical and mental tests.
Four of the best from London will join entrants from other countries at the Global Space Camp in Orlando, Florida. Twenty-two of them will be chosen to blast off into space.
For Scott, the opportunity has been a long time coming.
“On my fifth or sixth birthday I got a telescope and my mum told me all about the constellations,” explained Scott, of Leston Close, Rainham. “From that day it’s been a big interest for me and I started visiting the science museum regularly.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an ordinary man to go on a massive extraordinary mission. I’m never going to get another chance.”
In the past week, the former Abbs Cross pupil has lifted off from 45,000th place in the UK heat to 700th – thanks to the support of his friends and regulars at the Romford pub.
Making it to Florida would be one giant leap for Scott, who’s never left England before, never mind the planet – but the plucky youngster reckons he’s got what it takes to sail through the national stage.
“I was born ready,” he told the Recorder. “I attend the gym regularly.
“All my regulars are asking about it. I’m trying to get as many people involved as I possibly can.”
You can vote for Scott by visiting https://www.lynxapollo.com/en_GB/197940/scotty-yems/.
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