Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 04-28-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Leaders/Stories
Anousheh Ansari is an Iranian American business entrepreneur who made headlines several years ago by visiting the International Space Station as the first female, private space traveler. Ansari is an entrepreneur and co-founder/chairman of Prodea Systems. Prior to founding Prodea Systems, Anousheh served as co-founder, CEO and chairman of Telecom Technologies, Inc. She earned a bachelor’s degree in electronics and computer engineering from George Mason University, followed by a master’s degree in electrical engineering from George Washington University. She has an honorary doctorate from the International Space University and is currently working toward a master’s degree in astronomy from Swinburne University.
“In her memoir, “My Dream of Stars: From Daughter of Iran to Space Pioneer,” Ansari tells the story of her childhood in Iran and her family’s exodus to America after the Islamic Revolution. After settling down in Texas, Ansari built a computer technology firm from the ground up, which eventually realized a net worth of $750 million and ultimately allowed her to achieve her childhood dream of spaceflight. In her groundbreaking role as the first-ever female commercial spaceflight participant, her story became politicized and fraught with the prejudices and obstacles she had to overcome as an Iranian woman, culminating in a debate over whether she would be allowed to display both the American and Iranian flags on the sleeve of her spacesuit.
Watch her “Greetings from Space” video here:
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