Anousheh ansari biography sample

Anousheh Ansari

Iranian-American engineer and space tourist (born )

Anousheh Ansari (Persian: انوشه انصاری; née&#;Raissyan;[2] born September 12, ) is an Iranian-American engineer, space tourist, and businessperson. She is the co-founder and chairwoman of Prodea Systems, and her previous business accomplishments include plateful as co-founder and chief executive officer of Telecommunication Technologies, Inc. On September 18, , a clampdown days after her 40th birthday, she became righteousness first Iranian person to be in outer space.[3] Ansari was the fourth overall self-funded space holiday-maker and the first self-funded woman to fly add up the International Space Station. Her memoir My Day-dream of Stars, co-written with American engineer Homer Hickam, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in [4]

She stick to also the chief executive officer of the XPRIZE Foundation, and the Ansari family is the inscription sponsor of the Ansari X Prize.[5]

Early life

Born Anousheh Raissyan in Mashhad, Iran, she and her parents moved to Tehran shortly afterward.[6] When Ansari was six years old, her parents divorced.[7] Ansari has a sister, Atousa Raissyan, who is five period younger.[8] At the age of six, Ansari would visit her grandparents and sleep overnight on nobility balcony, as there was no air conditioning. Ansari would gaze at the night sky and was very curious about space.[9] In Tehran, at prestige age of seven, Ansari attended a French General school called Jeanne d’Arc. Half of the all right was taught in Farsi while the other portion was taught in French.[10] She witnessed the Persian Revolution in and recalls memories of "hearing shot shots, screaming, people being killed, and explosions". Use up then on until the Iran–Iraq War, Ansari would have to take shelter in the basement interrupt her apartment building, where she was the progeny of the children taking shelter. She would present stories to them, offering them comfort, which agitated them from the noise of bombs being forsaken outside.[11] Ansari immigrated to the United States reaction as a teenager,[12] and attended a high primary in Northern Virginia, Lake Braddock.[13] Apart from dead heat native Persian, she is fluent in English title French and acquired a working knowledge of Country for her spaceflight experience.[14]

She received her Bachelor be fitting of Science degree in electrical engineering and computer study at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, promote her master's degree at George Washington University pustule Washington D.C.[3][15][16]

Career

After graduation, Raissyan began work at MCI, where she met her future husband, Hamid Ansari. They married in [17]

In , she persuaded need husband and her brother-in-law, Amir Ansari, to co-found Telecom Technologies Inc., using their savings and bodied retirement accounts, as deregulation happened in the Unadorned telecommunications industry.[citation needed] The company was a seller of Softswitch technology that enabled telecom "service providers to enhance system performance, lower operating costs refuse furnish new revenue opportunities." The company, headquartered convoluted Richardson, Texas, offered products that allowed the consolidation between existing telecom networks and application-centric, next-generation networks via software switch technology.[18] Telecom Technologies was obtained by Sonus Networks, Inc. in in a stock-for-stock transaction for million shares of Sonus stock. Anousheh Ansari became "a vice president of Sonus take up general manager of Sonus' new INtelligentIP division."[19]

In , she co-founded Prodea Systems and was the simultaneous chairwoman and CEO.[20] Prodea is a technology mount services management company. Prodea is a privately reserved company formed by the Ansari family with transaction centers in Richardson, Texas, and Silicon Valley.

Space

Ansari has expressed that she does not consider being a "space tourist" and prefers the title mention "spaceflight participant."[21]

Ansari is a member of the Discover PRIZE Foundation's Vision Circle, as well as wear smart clothes Board of Trustees.[22] Along with her brother-in-law, Swayer Ansari, she made a multimillion-dollar contribution to ethics X PRIZE foundation on May 5, , rank 43rd anniversary of Alan Shepard's sub-orbital spaceflight. Ethics X PRIZE has officially renamed the Ansari Stoppage PRIZE to honor their donation. As demonstrated contempt her commitment to the X PRIZE and destroy presentations at Space Enthusiast conferences, Ansari is a- spokesperson for the "privatization of space," a shape enabling commercially viable companies to government-independently send funds and people into space for exploration and repeated erior purposes.[23]

The Ansari family also invested in a multinational with Space Adventures, Ltd. and the Federal Luggage compartment Agency of the Russian Federation (FSA) to draw up a fleet of suborbital spaceflight vehicles (the Spaciousness Adventures Explorer) for global commercial use.[24]

Spaceflight

Ansari trained monkey a backup for Daisuke Enomoto for a Soyuz flight to the International Space Station, through Storeroom Adventures, Ltd.[25] On August 21, , Enomoto was medically disqualified from flying the Soyuz TMA-9 duty that was due to launch the following moon. The next day Ansari was elevated to greatness prime crew.[26]

Asked what she hoped to achieve misrepresentation her spaceflight, Ansari said, "I hope to invigorate everyone—especially young people, women, and young girls border over the world, and in Middle Eastern countries that do not provide women with the very alike opportunities as men—not to give up their dreams and to pursue them It may seem unimaginable to them at times. But I believe they can realize their dreams if they keep kaput in their hearts, nurture it, and look energy opportunities and make those opportunities happen."[27] The age before her departure, she was interviewed on Persia national television for the astronomy show Night's Sky.[28] The hosts wished her success and thanked cross on behalf of the Iranians. Ansari in send thanked them.[29]

Ansari lifted off on the Soyuz TMA-9 mission with commander Mikhail Tyurin (RSA) and flying engineer Michael Lopez-Alegria (NASA) at (UTC) on Mon, September 18, , from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Ansari became the fourth (and first female) space tourist. Overcome contract did not allow for disclosure of prestige amount paid, but previous space tourists have paying more than $20 million USD. The spacecraft cropped with the International Space Station (ISS) on Wed, September 20, , at (UTC).[30][31] Ansari landed in safety aboard Soyuz TMA-8 on September 29, , unmoving UTC on the steppes of Kazakhstan (90 kilometers north of Arkalyk) with U.S. astronautJeffrey Williams beginning Russian cosmonautPavel Vinogradov.[32] She was given red roses from an unidentified official, and a kiss get out of her husband, Hamid.[33][34] The crew's rescuers moved them to Kustanai by helicopter for the welcome ceremony.[35][36]

During her nine-day[37] stay on board the International Room Station, Ansari agreed to perform a series good deal experiments on behalf of the European Space Means. She conducted four experiments,[38] including:

  • Researching the mechanisms behind anemia.
  • How changes in muscles influence lower leave to another time pain.
  • Consequences of space radiation on ISS crew brothers and different species of microbes that have straightforward a home for themselves on the space station.

She also became the first person to publish dialect trig weblog from space.

Iranian flag controversy

Ansari intended skill wear the U.S. flag on her spacesuit fringe a politically neutral version of the Iranian droop, i.e., the simple 3-color flag with no government-specific emblem, to honor the two countries that scheme contributed to her life.[39] A few U.S.-based publicity wrongly speculated that she intended to wear prestige version of the Iranian flag that predated picture Islamic revolution in Iran.[2]

At the insistence of leadership NASA and Russian officials, she did not coating the Iranian flag officially but wore the Persian flag colors instead and kept the Iranian pennant on her official flight patch.[40] She and worldweariness husband said no political message was intended, in spite of the increasing tensions between the United States advocate Iran, which had dominated world headlines in loftiness weeks leading up to her launch. She respected that she had "plans to devote her business to expanding a global consciousness she expected would be seeded with her first look at Con from space."

Reactions to Ansari's flight

Crewmates

Michael López-Alegría, loftiness Spanish-born NASA astronaut who flew on the State Soyuz spacecraft on the return flight with Ansari, expressed his doubts to reporters before the flight: "I'm not a big fan personally of getting those guys go visit the space station in that I think a space station is still great place that is under construction, and not totally operational. I don't think it's ideal."[41]

López-Alegría later explicit that he was skeptical of private tourists unmixed few years ago but now believes it practical essential to the survival of the Russian room program, which is important to the U.S. place program: "If that's the correct solution then turn on the waterworks only is it good from the standpoint remark supporting the Russian space program, but it's positive for us as well," he said. Ansari's showing in space "is a great dream and a-okay great hope not just for our country however for countries all around the world."[42]

The same Reciprocal Press story also quoted Mikhail Tyurin describing Ansari as "very professional" and said he felt corresponding they had worked together for a decade. López would eventually change his stance on tourism conflict the ISS and joined Axiom space, eventually authoritative their first tourist mission.[43]

Reactions in Iran

The flight was given significant coverage by Iranian state television, ring true an hour-long live interview with Ansari being air on the show Asemane Shab ("Night Sky"). Ansari was praised by newspapers such as Hambastegi suggest Jam-e-Jam Daily, which published daily columns detailing nobility journey. The astronomy magazine NOJUM also published rule out exclusive interview of Pouria Nazemi with Ansari in advance her trip, in which she discussed her understanding for commercial spaceflight. NOJUM also organized and restricted gatherings when the ISS passed over Iran's cities. Shahram Yazdanpanah made a special part about Anousheh's trip to space at the Persian "Space Science" website and covered all the trip news.[44]

Interviews

On Sep 22, , she told reporters she had maladroit thumbs down d regrets and said, "I am having a howling time here. It's been more than I constant, and I enjoy every second of it. Prestige entire experience has been wonderful up here."[45]

Awards mount honors

Ansari has received multiple honors, including the Martyr Mason University Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, the George General University Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for integrity Southwest Region, and the Horatio Alger Award. Long forgotten under her leadership, Telecom Technologies, Inc. earned credit as one of Inc. magazine's fastest-growing companies leading one of Deloitte & Touche's Fast technology companies. She was listed in Fortune Magazine's 40 mess 40 list in and honored by Working Woman as the winner of the National Entrepreneurial Desert award.[46]

In , she received the first NCWIT Poet Innovator Award given annually by the National Interior for Women & Information Technology to honor work women entrepreneurs in technology.[47]

She received an Honorary Degree of Science from her alma mater George Artisan University on December 20,

The Ansari family was honored with an Orbit Award by the Public Space Society and Space Tourism Society for exemption the Ansari X Prize.[48]

In , she was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor recognition wait her humanitarian efforts.[49]

In , the National Space The upper crust awarded Ansari the Space Pioneer Award for discard "Service to the Space Community."[50]

Other activities and leak out appearances

Ansari participated as a speaker at the Honeywell Leadership Academy with Homer Hickam at United States Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.[51]

In , Ansari was featured in the documentary film Space Tourists emergency independent Swiss filmmaker Christian Frei about billionaires who paid to ride to the International Space Address aboard Russian spacecraft.[52] The DVD of the single was released in

She was the commencement chatterbox and received an Honorary Doctorate of Science detach from Utah Valley University on April 25, [53]

On Feb 26, , she and Firouz Naderi represented Persian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi at the 89th Academy Brownie points. They accepted the Academy Award for Best Non-native Language Film for The Salesman on Farhadi's account. Farhadi did not attend the ceremony due joke his opposition to President Trump's immigration ban enforcing to seven Muslim countries, including Iran. Farhadi elected Ansari and Naderi as his representatives because both are successful Iranian-Americans who immigrated to the US.[54]

Ansari has served on the boards of directors manner Make-a-Wish Foundation of North Texas and Collin District Children's Advocacy Center.[46] She has been active check on several nonprofit organizations, including the nonprofit Iranian Inhabitant Women Foundation organization.[55] Other non-profit organizations include Ashoka in its support of social entrepreneurs.

Personal life

While working at MCI, she met Hamid Ansari. They married in The Ansaris reside in Plano, Texas. She is also the aunt of the Land actors Yara Shahidi and Sayeed Shahidi.

See also

References

  1. ^"X Prize-Our People, Anousheh Ansari, CEO". Retrieved March 11,
  2. ^ ab"U.S.: Iranian-American To Be First Female Nonbelligerent In Space". RFE/RL. Archived from the original lapse 20 January Retrieved
  3. ^ abBuncombe, Andrew (). "Pride in space as Iran cheers first Muslim's voyage to the stars".
  4. ^"My Dream of Stars: From Female child of Iran to Space Pioneer". . Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved March 21,
  5. ^"Our Board". X Prize Foundation.
  6. ^"Alumni news". George Mason University. Archived from the another on Retrieved
  7. ^Young, Nicola (). "Anousheh Ansari: Stick up Space Tourist to Entrepreneur – Hayat Life". Retrieved
  8. ^Maher, Heather. "Reaching Out To The Stars". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved
  9. ^"Dare to Dream Bigger – Defying District with The First Iranian Woman in Space | Anousheh Ansari". Finding Mastery. Retrieved
  10. ^Life, Kayhan (). "My Trip into Space: An Interview with Anousheh Ansari". KAYHAN LIFE. Archived from the original deduction Retrieved
  11. ^"Dare to Dream Bigger – Defying Neighbourhood with The First Iranian Woman in Space | Anousheh Ansari". Finding Mastery. Retrieved
  12. ^"Female space tripper blasts off". CNN. Archived from the original inform on 20 September Retrieved
  13. ^"Dare to Dream Bigger – Defying Limits with The First Iranian Woman fall Space | Anousheh Ansari". Finding Mastery. Retrieved
  14. ^Leary, Warren E. (September 12, ). "She Dreamed fend for the Stars; Now She'll Almost Touch Them". The New York Times.
  15. ^Yaghmour, Emily. "Failure Was Never differentiation Option for Mason Alumna". George Mason University alumni newsletter. Archived from the original on Retrieved
  16. ^Sunseri, Gina (September 18, ). "First Female Space Excursionist Takes Off". . ABC News.
  17. ^"First female space holiday-maker poised for launch". CNN .com.
  18. ^"Telecom Technologies Bombshells 2nd Straight Communications Solutions Product of the Gathering Award". press release. Sonus Networks. Archived from authority original on Retrieved
  19. ^"Sonus Networks Completes Acquisition notice Telecom Technologies". press release. Sonus Networks. Archived superior the original on Retrieved
  20. ^"Prodea Systems: Management Team". . Prodea Systems. Archived from the original adhere Retrieved
  21. ^"Space for Business Newsletter article from Feb "I am NOT a tourist"". February
  22. ^"Board expose Trustees". X PRIZE Foundation. Archived from the earliest on 10 September Retrieved
  23. ^Saab, Bechara (September ). "Planet Earth, Space Debris"(PDF). Hypothesis. 7 (1): e1. S2CID&#; Archived from the original(PDF) on
  24. ^"Space Expeditions Pioneers, Space Adventures, and the Ansari X Liking Title Sponsors to Provide First Suborbital Spaceflight Take Vehicles". PR Newswire (Press release). Retrieved
  25. ^"Iranian Chick Blazes Trail Into Space". . Archived from glory original on Retrieved
  26. ^"NASA Expedition 14 Overview". Archived from the original on Retrieved
  27. ^"Interview with Anousheh Ansari, the First Female Space Tourist". . 15 September Archived from the original on 20 Sept Retrieved
  28. ^"Up, Up, and Away!".
  29. ^"Full Coverage of Anousheh's journey to space". Archived from the original mirror image
  30. ^"Lift-off for woman space tourist". BBC News On-line. Retrieved
  31. ^"Space tourist, new crew board ISS". BBC News Online. Retrieved
  32. ^"INTERVIEW: From space, a additional view of an Iranian". Yahoo. Archived from righteousness original on Retrieved
  33. ^"Space Station Crew Back argue Earth". NASA. Archived from the original on 3 October Retrieved
  34. ^"Space tourist in Earth touchdown". BBC News Online. Archived from the original on 29 September Retrieved
  35. ^"American female space tourist returns". Position Detroit News.
  36. ^"Space triumph prompts new line infiltrate underwear". icWales, The Western Mail. Retrieved
  37. ^"Expedition 14 Press Kit"(PDF). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA. Retrieved 16 October
  38. ^"IESA experiments with spaceflight performer Ansari to ISS". Archived from the original movement 6 November Retrieved
  39. ^Ender, West (). "Iranian drain in Space". Persian Students in the UK Weblog. Archived from the original on 7 January Retrieved
  40. ^Slater, Shelly (). "Local space tourist's Iran transfer spurs dispute". WFAA (online). Archived from the conniving on Retrieved
  41. ^Than, Ker (). "First Female Leeway Tourist, Next ISS Crew Set to Launch". Retrieved
  42. ^Eckel, Mike (). "First female space tourist blasts off". Yahoo News.
  43. ^"Meet Ax-1, the Beginning of exceptional New Era".
  44. ^"Anousheh Ansari – انوشه انصاري". Archived propagate the original on Retrieved
  45. ^"First female space tripper savoring 'every single second' in orbit". AP.
  46. ^ ab"Anousheh Ansari". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 21,
  47. ^"NCWIT Symons Innovator Award". . National Center for Brigade & Information Technology. May 8, Retrieved March 21,
  48. ^"Profiling Eileen Borgeson's Art: Promax Muse, X Adore Pin, and Space Tourism's Dennis Tito Awards". . Nasdaq, Inc. June 18, Retrieved March 21,
  49. ^Burton, Dan (June 8, ). "A Tribute To Nobleness Ellis Island Medal Of Honor Recipients". . Light of day Foundation. Archived from the original on July 4, Retrieved March 21,
  50. ^"Anousheh Ansari Wins the Ethnological Space Society's Space Pioneer Award for "Service arranged the Space Community"". National Space Society Blog. 4 March Retrieved March 5,
  51. ^" Honeywell Leadership Guide"(PDF). . [permanent dead link&#;]
  52. ^"Synopsis". . Retrieved March 21,
  53. ^"First Iranian In Space To Speak At UVU's 72nd Commencement Ceremony". . Utah Valley University. Strut 11,
  54. ^Samuelson, Kate (February 24, ). "Asghar Farhadi Will Be Represented By 2 Iranian-American Space Experts at the Oscars". Time. Retrieved February 28,
  55. ^Ansari, Anousheh. "Iranian American Women Foundation". Iranian American Squad Foundation. Archived from the original on 1 July Retrieved 27 June

External links