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Anousheh Ansari brings more than two decades as a successful serial entrepreneur to Prodea Systems, where she serves as Chairman.

 

Anousheh is capturing headlines around the world as the first female private space explorer. On Sept. 14, she will blast off for an 8 day expedition aboard the International Space Station. She will be a member of the primary crew of the Soyuz TMA-9, which will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Her fellow crew members will include NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin.

"I was born in Iran, and I have sentimental attachment to that country," Ansari says. "But if it wasn't for all the opportunities and education I received in the United States, I wouldn't be here today." Ansari, who emigrated to America when she was 14, was educated at George Mason University in Virginia and George Washington University in Washington.

She's acknowledging her roots by wearing two flag patches on the sleeves of her flight suit -- one American, one Iranian.

Ansari has already encouraged space tourism by helping to endow the so-called "X Prize," which was a $10 million award aimed at encouraging the development of a privately built, reusable spaceship. Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne won the prize in October 2004.

Ansari is now part of a large team that is working on the development of a new kind of spacecraft that would be used to open up space tourism to greater numbers of people by making it more affordable.

"When I started training here, one of my goals was learn what it takes for regular civilians who are not trained as professional astronauts and cosmonauts to go to space," she said."

Ansari's husband, Hamid, says his wife hopes to bring lessons from her trip to the development of widespread commercial space travel.

"She really wanted to get a firsthand experience, as we're going to sort of pioneer this industry...what it takes," said Hamid Ansari, who was in Moscow to observe his wife's training. "And there's nothing like firsthand experience."

American businessmen Dennis Tito and Gregory Olsen and South African mogul Mark Shuttleworth have previously been paid passengers on the trip to the International Space Station. The Russians began taking tourists to the station in 2001 as a way to raise money for their chronically underfunded space program.

Anousheh Ansari has been training for months, but found out only this week that she would be on the next mission. A Japanese entrepreneur had been scheduled to make the trip in September, but he was bumped from the trip after he reportedly failed a medical test.

Ansari's journey will help pave the way for men -- and women -- to follow their dreams all the way to the stars.

Does she feel like she's becoming a role model for other women?

"Absolutely," said her husband. "To a great extent, especially for the next generation, for the younger generation, to be able to show them that there are no limitations -- and that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything that you want."

Anousheh will be the fourth private space explorer to visit space, and the first astronaut of Iranian descent. She spent over 6 months preparing for the journey at the Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Centre in Star City, Russian and the Johnson Space Center in Houston/TX, USA.

An active proponent of world-changing technologies, Anousheh has dreamed of space exploration since childhood. Her family provided the title sponsorship for the Ansari X Prize, a $10 million cash award for the first non-governmental organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks. This feat was accomplished in 2004 by legendary aerospace designer Burt Rutan in 2004.

Prior to founding Prodea Systems, Anousheh served as co-founder, chief executive officer and chairman of the board for telecom technologies, inc. After earning three key U.S. patents, and growing the company to 250 employees with 100% sequential growth year over year since inception, the company successfully merged with Sonus Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONS), a provider of IP-based voice infrastructure products.

A living example of the American dream, Anousheh Ansari immigrated to the United States as a teenager who did not speak English. She immersed herself in education, earning 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 is currently working toward a master's degree in astronomy from Swinburne University.

Anousheh is a member of the X Prize Foundation's Vision Circle, as well as its Board of Trustees. She has received multiple honors, including the Working Woman's National Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, George Mason University's Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, George Washington University's Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Southwest Region. While under her leadership, telecom technologies earned recognition as one of Inc. magazine's 500 fastest-growing companies and Deloitte & Touche's Fast 500 technology companies.

In addition to her business achievements, Anousheh actively pursues ways to enable social entrepreneurs to bring about radical change globally. She has served on the boards of directors for Make-a-Wish Foundation of North Texas and Collin County Children's Advocacy Center. She works with a number of other non-profit organizations, including the Ashoka Foundation in its support of social entrepreneurs.

Shahram Yazdanpanah
www.SpaceScience.ir

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