ANOUSHEH ANSARI
Entrepreneur and engineer, first female space tourist.
Anousheh Ansari was born in Machad, Iran in 1966. In 1982 she emigrated to the United States, where she initially studied electrical engineering and computer science. She later continued her studies in Washington D.C., where she received her degree in electrical engineering in 1992. One year later, together with her husband and his brother, she founded the Internet company tii (telecom technologies incorporated).
In 2000, the three sold their company for 550 million dollars and used the revenue to found a new company, Prodea Systems. Ever since she was a child, Anousheh Ansari dreamt of one day flying to space.
In 2004, she and her company Prodea Systems gave support to the X-Prize Foundation, a competition to provide a stimulus for private flights to outer space. The prize was subsequently re-named the Ansari X-Prize.
Anousheh Ansari was born in Machad, Iran in 1966. In 1982 she emigrated to the United States, where she initially studied electrical engineering and computer science. She later continued her studies in Washington D.C., where she received her degree in electrical engineering in 1992. One year later, together with her husband and his brother, she founded the Internet company tii (telecom technologies incorporated).
In 2000, the three sold their company for 550 million dollars and used the revenue to found a new company, Prodea Systems. Ever since she was a child, Anousheh Ansari dreamt of one day flying to space.
In 2004, she and her company Prodea Systems gave support to the X-Prize Foundation, a competition to provide a stimulus for private flights to outer space. The prize was subsequently re-named the Ansari X-Prize.
ANOUSHEH ANSARI
Entrepreneur and engineer, first female space tourist.
Quotes from the film:
«I never gave up on the idea that one day I will fly to space. I had even a backup plan! I had told my husband when I die… if I had not flown to space you have to make sure that somehow you get my ashes - at least a little bit! – up into space. As a child I slept on the balcony of my grandparents house… and just gazed at the beautiful night skies. I was fascinated by space, I was always mesmerized by the mystery it holds. I told my parents! I said: one day I’m gonna go to space!»
Quotes from the film:
«I never gave up on the idea that one day I will fly to space. I had even a backup plan! I had told my husband when I die… if I had not flown to space you have to make sure that somehow you get my ashes - at least a little bit! – up into space. As a child I slept on the balcony of my grandparents house… and just gazed at the beautiful night skies. I was fascinated by space, I was always mesmerized by the mystery it holds. I told my parents! I said: one day I’m gonna go to space!»
ANOUSHEH ANSARI
Entrepreneur and engineer, first female space tourist.
Quotes from the film:
«Sometimes people criticize me… for spending a lot of money… on a dream. But how do you put a price on a dream? Is it worth a month’s salary… or two? Is it worth losing a limb… or is it worth dying for? I would go to space even if it was a one way ticket, if it meant going and never returning, if it meant losing my life over it! I am ready to pay any price… to go to space.»
Quotes from the film:
«Sometimes people criticize me… for spending a lot of money… on a dream. But how do you put a price on a dream? Is it worth a month’s salary… or two? Is it worth losing a limb… or is it worth dying for? I would go to space even if it was a one way ticket, if it meant going and never returning, if it meant losing my life over it! I am ready to pay any price… to go to space.»
JONAS BENDIKSEN
Magnum photographer.
Jonas Bendiksen was born in 1977 in Norway. He began his career at the age of 19 as an intern at the London office of the renowned photography agency Magnum. He later moved to Russia, where he worked as a photojournalist. Over the course of several years there, he documented life on the fringes of the former Soviet Union, work that he published in 2006 in his book «Satellites».
In the course of his career, Bendiksen has received numerous awards, including the 2003 Infinity Award of the International Center of Photography in New York, and the second place award in the category Daily Life Stories for World Press Photo. Jonas Bendiksen is the youngest photographer ever to work for Magnum. His reportages are regularly published by magazines such as National Geographic, Geo, Newsweek or the Sunday Times Magazine.
Jonas Bendiksen was born in 1977 in Norway. He began his career at the age of 19 as an intern at the London office of the renowned photography agency Magnum. He later moved to Russia, where he worked as a photojournalist. Over the course of several years there, he documented life on the fringes of the former Soviet Union, work that he published in 2006 in his book «Satellites».
In the course of his career, Bendiksen has received numerous awards, including the 2003 Infinity Award of the International Center of Photography in New York, and the second place award in the category Daily Life Stories for World Press Photo. Jonas Bendiksen is the youngest photographer ever to work for Magnum. His reportages are regularly published by magazines such as National Geographic, Geo, Newsweek or the Sunday Times Magazine.
JONAS BENDIKSEN
Magnum photographer.
Quotes from the film:
«Spaceflight was one of the main achievements of the Soviet Union. You know… Gagarin… and Sputnik. This was what the Soviet Union was built on! And after the collapse of the Soviet Union… many many people were in many ways… lost.»
«Despite the danger of living close to the rocket trajectory… for some these rockets are literally a gift from the heavens! I met many farmers who make a lot of their farming tools from secondhand space ship metal! Shovels or sleds… There’re people repairing a patch of their roof with a Soyuz rocket ship… it’s very common in this area.»
Quotes from the film:
«Spaceflight was one of the main achievements of the Soviet Union. You know… Gagarin… and Sputnik. This was what the Soviet Union was built on! And after the collapse of the Soviet Union… many many people were in many ways… lost.»
«Despite the danger of living close to the rocket trajectory… for some these rockets are literally a gift from the heavens! I met many farmers who make a lot of their farming tools from secondhand space ship metal! Shovels or sleds… There’re people repairing a patch of their roof with a Soyuz rocket ship… it’s very common in this area.»
JONAS BENDIKSEN
Magnum photographer.
Quotes from the film:
«The scrap metal dealers sell the rocket pieces to China… where they make aluminum foil out of it. In a globalized world… you might be wrapping your sandwich… in an old space ship!»
«If the fuel in the space junk is causing health problems… we should take it seriously! Commercial satellites owned by western corporations are often put into orbit from Baikonur… if people get sick in Altai… we are all responsible.»
Quotes from the film:
«The scrap metal dealers sell the rocket pieces to China… where they make aluminum foil out of it. In a globalized world… you might be wrapping your sandwich… in an old space ship!»
«If the fuel in the space junk is causing health problems… we should take it seriously! Commercial satellites owned by western corporations are often put into orbit from Baikonur… if people get sick in Altai… we are all responsible.»
DUMITRU POPESCU
Romanian space enthusiast.
Dumitru was born in 1977 in Valecea, Romania and studied aerospace engineering at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest. He is the founder and chairman of ARCA, the Romanian «Aeronautics and Cosmonautics Association».
He has already participated in numerous X-Prize competitions, most recently in the 2008 «Google-Lunar-X-Prize», a private competition to reach the moon.
In the competition, his spacecraft succeeded in entering the stratosphere, transported by a 230-foot tall solar-powered Montgolfier balloon – the biggest one ever built.
Dumitru was born in 1977 in Valecea, Romania and studied aerospace engineering at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest. He is the founder and chairman of ARCA, the Romanian «Aeronautics and Cosmonautics Association».
He has already participated in numerous X-Prize competitions, most recently in the 2008 «Google-Lunar-X-Prize», a private competition to reach the moon.
In the competition, his spacecraft succeeded in entering the stratosphere, transported by a 230-foot tall solar-powered Montgolfier balloon – the biggest one ever built.
DUMITRU POPESCU
Romanian space enthusiast.
Quotes from the film:
«Since I was a kid… my mother told me stories about Yuri Gagarin, about the space flight. I was passionate about space flight, about aviation… but unfortunately I was not very good at algebra… at the mathematic… so I went to theology high school and I was very close to become a priest!»
«Some day… I want to see the black sky, the earth back down… this is my life objective! I could do this in a much easier way… to make business, to make money! And I could buy a ticket to go into space… but it’s not fun!»
Quotes from the film:
«Since I was a kid… my mother told me stories about Yuri Gagarin, about the space flight. I was passionate about space flight, about aviation… but unfortunately I was not very good at algebra… at the mathematic… so I went to theology high school and I was very close to become a priest!»
«Some day… I want to see the black sky, the earth back down… this is my life objective! I could do this in a much easier way… to make business, to make money! And I could buy a ticket to go into space… but it’s not fun!»
CHARLES SIMONYI
Software developer, chief developer of Word and Excel.
Charles Simonyi is an American programmer and software developer of Hungarian descent. He became famous as the father of the notation convention for naming variables, the so-called Hungarian notation convention.
In 1981, he earned his doctorate in computer science at Stanford University in Palo Alto. That same year, he was hired by still fledgling company Microsoft as Director of Application Development. Among other things, he oversaw the development of the first versions of Word and Excel. Charles Simonyi is the only space tourist to have made two (!) trips to the ISS.
Charles Simonyi is an American programmer and software developer of Hungarian descent. He became famous as the father of the notation convention for naming variables, the so-called Hungarian notation convention.
In 1981, he earned his doctorate in computer science at Stanford University in Palo Alto. That same year, he was hired by still fledgling company Microsoft as Director of Application Development. Among other things, he oversaw the development of the first versions of Word and Excel. Charles Simonyi is the only space tourist to have made two (!) trips to the ISS.
CHARLES SIMONYI
Software developer, chief developer of Word and Excel.
Quotes from the film:
«Space is a very harsh environment… it’s a harsh teacher… People who don’t learn the lessons of space - are not going to survive in space!»
«The schedule at Star City is fairly strict and it’s filled out completely from nine in the morning to six in the evening… it’s barely time to go from one class to the next! I never lived in this regular manner… it must be like… like in the military!»
Quotes from the film:
«Space is a very harsh environment… it’s a harsh teacher… People who don’t learn the lessons of space - are not going to survive in space!»
«The schedule at Star City is fairly strict and it’s filled out completely from nine in the morning to six in the evening… it’s barely time to go from one class to the next! I never lived in this regular manner… it must be like… like in the military!»
