A Scottish space fan fulfilled a lifelong dream - and visited the International Space Station, at least in virtual form.

Ian Sheffield, 66, paid to have his photo taken into space - and stamped with a circular red stamp showing the picture has visited the ISS, 250 miles above Earth.

Sheffield arranged the 'trip' through a contact, and is coy about how much he paid - it costs at least 6,000 per lb of cargo put into orbit. The round trip is 56 million miles.

A Russian astronaut propped up his picture in the window of the Space Station.

Ian said this week: "I couldn't afford the 15 million fare to go myself, so I thought 'why not send a substitute?'

"The best way of identifying me was to send my actual photograph. I was very excited when I got it back."

The Soyuz spacecraft can also be seen attached to the space station.

Ian, a retired chartered engineer at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, organised the unique journey for his picture through a private contact in Germany, who then passed the portrait to Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka.

Mr Padalka was launched into space along with two other astronauts on the Soyuz spacecraft expedition 31 on May 14 and after spending 125 days in orbit, the picture returned to Earth and Ian received it in the post last week.

Ian, who paid a small fee to have the photo sent into space, said post office staff in in Gullane were shocked when he described the journey the picture would be taking.

Continued here:

Scottish science fan 'posts' his photo to International Space Station