Anousheh Ansari facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anousheh Ansari
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Ansari in 2005
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| Born |
Anousheh Raissyan
September 12, 1966 Mashhad, Iran
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| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | George Mason University (BSc) George Washington University (MSc) |
| Occupation |
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| Title | CEO of XPRIZE Foundation |
| Spouse(s) |
Hamid Ansari
(m. 1991) |
| Relatives |
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| Status | Retired |
| Space career | |
| Spaceflight participant | |
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Time in space
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10d 21h 5m |
| Missions | Soyuz TMA-9/8 |
Anousheh Ansari (Persian: انوشه انصاری; née Raissyan; born September 12, 1966) is an amazing Iranian-American engineer and businesswoman. She helped start a company called Prodea Systems and is now its leader. Before that, she also helped create and lead another company called Telecom Technologies, Inc. In 2006, just after her 40th birthday, she made history by becoming the first person of Iranian heritage to travel to outer space! She was also the fourth person to pay for her own trip to space and the first woman to do so, visiting the International Space Station. She wrote a book about her journey called My Dream of Stars with Homer Hickam in 2010.
Today, she leads the XPRIZE Foundation, an organization that encourages big breakthroughs. Her family is also a main supporter of the Ansari X Prize, which is a prize for space innovation.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Anousheh Raissyan was born in Mashhad, Iran. Her family moved to Tehran soon after. When she was six, her parents divorced. Anousheh has a younger sister named Atousa.
As a child, Anousheh loved looking at the night sky. She would often sleep on her grandparents' balcony and dream about space. When she was seven, she went to a French Catholic school in Tehran. She learned both Farsi and French there.
Anousheh remembers the Iranian Revolution in 1979. She heard gunshots and explosions. During the Iran–Iraq War, she often had to hide in her apartment building's basement. She would tell stories to the younger children to help them feel safe.
In 1984, Anousheh moved to the United States as a teenager. She went to high school in Northern Virginia. Besides her native Persian, she speaks fluent English and French. She also learned Russian for her space journey.
She earned her first degree in electrical engineering and computer science from George Mason University. Later, she got her master's degree from George Washington University.
Her Career Journey
After finishing college, Anousheh started working at a company called MCI. There, she met Hamid Ansari, who would become her husband. They got married in 1991.
In 1993, Anousheh, her husband Hamid, and her brother-in-law Amir Ansari started their own company. It was called Telecom Technologies Inc. They used their own savings to begin this business. The company made special technology for phone companies. This technology helped phone networks work better and cost less. In 2001, a bigger company called Sonus Networks bought Telecom Technologies. Anousheh became a vice president at Sonus.
In 2006, she co-founded another company called Prodea Systems. She became its chairwoman and CEO. Prodea is a company that works with technology and services. It is owned by the Ansari family and has development centers in Texas and Silicon Valley.
Journey to Space
Anousheh Ansari prefers to be called a "spaceflight participant" instead of a "space tourist." She believes space travel is more than just a vacation.
She is a part of the X PRIZE Foundation, which encourages new ideas and discoveries. In 2004, Anousheh and her brother-in-law, Amir Ansari, gave a lot of money to the X PRIZE foundation. Because of their generous gift, the prize was renamed the Ansari X PRIZE. Anousheh is a strong supporter of making space travel available to more people and companies, not just governments.
The Ansari family also invested in a project with Space Adventures and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Their goal was to create new spacecraft for commercial use.
Her Spaceflight
Anousheh trained to be a backup for another space traveler, Daisuke Enomoto. They were preparing for a Soyuz flight to the International Space Station. In August 2006, Enomoto could not fly due to health reasons. The very next day, Anousheh was chosen to take his place!
When asked about her hopes for the spaceflight, Anousheh said she wanted to inspire people. She especially wanted to encourage young people, women, and girls around the world. She wanted them to never give up on their dreams, even if they seem impossible. The day before her launch, she was interviewed on Iranian television. The hosts wished her well and thanked her.
Anousheh lifted off on the Soyuz TMA-9 mission on September 18, 2006. She launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, with commander Mikhail Tyurin and flight engineer Michael Lopez-Alegria. She became the fourth person to pay for their own trip to space, and the first woman to do so. The cost of her trip was not shared, but previous space travelers had paid over $20 million.
Her spacecraft docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on September 20, 2006. Anousheh landed safely back on Earth on September 29, 2006. She landed in Kazakhstan with U.S. astronaut Jeffrey Williams and Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov.
During her nine days on the International Space Station, Anousheh did several science experiments for the European Space Agency. These experiments included:
- Studying how anemia affects the body.
- Looking at how muscle changes can cause lower back pain.
- Researching the effects of space radiation on astronauts and microbes on the station.
She also became the first person to write a weblog (blog) from space!
Iranian Flag Discussion
Anousheh wanted to wear both the U.S. flag and a simple, neutral version of the Iranian flag on her spacesuit. She wanted to honor both countries that had shaped her life. Some news reports mistakenly thought she wanted to wear an older version of the Iranian flag.
However, officials from NASA and Russia asked her not to wear the Iranian flag officially. Instead, she wore the colors of the Iranian flag and had the flag on her official mission patch. She and her husband said there was no political message intended. Anousheh said she wanted her mission to help people feel more connected globally.
Reactions to Her Flight
Michael López-Alegría, a NASA astronaut who flew with Anousheh, had some doubts before the flight. He felt the space station was still being built and not ready for visitors. However, he later changed his mind. He realized that private space travelers help support the Russian space program, which is important for the U.S. space program too. He said Anousheh's presence in space was a "great dream and a great hope."
Mikhail Tyurin, the Russian commander, described Anousheh as "very professional." He felt like they had worked together for a long time.
Reactions in Iran
Anousheh's flight was widely covered by Iranian state television. They broadcast an hour-long live interview with her. Iranian newspapers praised her journey. An astronomy magazine called NOJUM also published an interview with her before her trip. They also organized gatherings when the ISS passed over Iranian cities.
Interviews
On September 22, 2006, Anousheh told reporters she had no regrets. She said, "I am having a wonderful time here. It's been more than I expected, and I enjoy every second of it."
Awards and Honors
Anousheh Ansari has received many awards for her achievements. These include:
- The George Mason University Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.
- The George Washington University Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.
- The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Southwest Region.
- The Horatio Alger Award.
Under her leadership, Telecom Technologies, Inc. was recognized as one of Inc. magazine's 500 fastest-growing companies. It was also named one of Deloitte & Touche's Fast 500 technology companies. In 2001, Fortune Magazine included her in its 40 under 40 list. Working Woman magazine also honored her with the 2000 National Entrepreneurial Excellence award.
In 2009, she received the first NCWIT Symons Innovator Award. This award honors successful women who start technology businesses.
She received an honorary doctorate degree from George Mason University in 2012.
The Ansari family received an Orbit Award from the National Space Society and Space Tourism Society. This was for their support of the Ansari X Prize.
In 2010, she was given the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for her work helping others.
In 2015, the National Space Society gave Anousheh the Space Pioneer Award. This was for her contributions to the space community.
Other Activities and Public Appearances
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Anousheh Ansari has spoken at many events. In 2010, she was a speaker at the Honeywell Leadership Academy with Homer Hickam. This event took place at United States Space Camp.
In 2009, she was featured in a documentary film called Space Tourists. This film was about wealthy people who paid to travel to the International Space Station on Russian spacecraft.
She was the main speaker and received an honorary doctorate from Utah Valley University in 2013.
In 2017, Anousheh and Firouz Naderi represented Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi at the 89th Academy Awards. They accepted the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for his movie The Salesman. Farhadi did not attend the ceremony because he disagreed with a travel ban affecting several Muslim countries, including Iran. He chose Anousheh and Firouz because they are successful Iranian-Americans.
Anousheh has also served on the boards of several non-profit organizations. These include the Make-a-Wish Foundation of North Texas and the Collin County Children's Advocacy Center. She is also active with the Iranian American Women Foundation and Ashoka, which supports social entrepreneurs.
Personal Life
Anousheh met her husband, Hamid Ansari, while working at MCI. They got married in 1991. The Ansaris live in Plano, Texas. She is also the aunt of American actors Yara Shahidi and Sayeed Shahidi.
See also
In Spanish: Anousheh Ansari para niños
- Iranian women
- List of famous Iranian women
- List of International Space Station visitors
- Women in space
