• Anousheh Ansari

  Spaceflight Participant and Business Entrepreneur

Profession:

Pioneer in private spaceflight

Education

• BS, George Mason University - Electronics and Computer Engineering
• MS, George Washington University - Electrical Engineering

In 2006, Anousheh Ansari soared into space as a spaceflight participant with the Russian space program. She became the first female private space explorer and the first astronaut of Iranian descent to go into space. To encourage advancements in space exploration, Anousheh and her family provided title sponsorship of the Ansari X PRIZE. Ansari started her own telecommunications company, Telecom Technologies, which she sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. Ansari is currently the co-founder and CEO of Prodea Systems.

What inspired you to pursue a career in science?

Something that was always fascinating to me was the story of Albert Einstein. What fascinated me was how could someone sit in their library and think of how space and time can be different than what everyone else perceives in their mind. To make that leap and have that type of imagination has been always inspiring to me. I always hope that I will be able to expand my imagination and my way of thinking to be able to think outside the box. I have always loved to learn about something new, something that's evolving, and being part of a discovery.

What excites you about what's happening in science right now?

I think what's happening in our field is the most exciting thing that has happened since people started flying. The way we interact with our environment and the way we do everything is about to change with the use of the Internet and technology. The way we share information and exchange information is completely changing. The way we are entertained is completely changing and it will continue to change and become more personalized and more interactive. That's why even though I could retire and go home and enjoy the rest of my life traveling around the world, we're back in the saddle with my family and trying to be part of that revolution - building devices and offering services that will help fuel that revolution.

How would you motivate students to become more interested in learning science?

There is a phobia about the difficulty of science and how abstract the subjects may look from the textbook [compared] to applying it to our everyday life. They need to just forget about that fear and phobia because learning something new . . . can be really fun, especially if you try to see how all these theories and formulas are actually put into work in real life. If you find that teacher that can inspire you and help you see how all these theories can be used in our practical lives, I think you will find it just so fascinating that you won't be able to let it go anymore. So give yourself the chance and use your imagination and try to see how this really can help change the way people live their lives.

Interview

Learning something new can be really fun, especially if you try to see how all these theories and formulas are actually put into work in real life.

Anousheh Ansari
Spaceflight Participant and Business Entrepeneur

Web Resources

• Anousheh Ansari's Personal Website
• Anousheh Ansari's Space Blog
• New York Times: "She Dreamed of the Stars; Now She'll Almost Touch Them"
• BBC News: "Anousheh Ansari: A passion for space travel"
• Air & Space Magazine - Interview with Anousheh Ansari
• National Center for Women & Information Technology - Interview with Anousheh Ansari
• Radio Free Europ: "Iranian-American To Be First Female Civilian In Space"
• Flickr - Photos from Anousheh Ansari's Space Flight
• Prodea Systems - Anousheh Ansari's company
• Wikipedia Anousheh Ansari