01 new ansari text:Layout 1 1/8/10 2:34 PM Page i My Dream of Stars This page intentionally left blank 01 new ansari text:Layout 1 1/8/10 2:34 PM Page iii My Dream of Stars From Daughter of Iran to Space Pioneer Anousheh Ansari with Homer Hickam 01 new ansari text:Layout 1 1/8/10 2:34 PM Page iv The poem by Karen Ravn that appears in the Epilogue is reprinted courtesy of Hallmark Cards, Inc. MY DREAM OF STARS Copyright © Anousheh Ansari and Homer Hickam, 2010. All rights reserved. First published in 2010 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN-13: 978-0-230-61993-7 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ansari, Anousheh, 1966– My dream of stars : from daughter of Iran to space pioneer / by Anousheh Ansari with Homer Hickam. p. cm. ISBN-13: 978-0-230-61993-7 (hardcover) ISBN-10: 0-230-61993-2 (hardcover) 1. Ansari, Anousheh, 1966– 2. Women astronauts—United States—Biography. 3. Astronauts—United States—Biography. 4. Space flight—United States. 5. Iranian Americans—Biography. 6. Muslim women—United States—Biography. 7. Businesswomen—Texas—Biography. 8. Telecommunication—United States. 9. Social entrepreneurship—United States. 10. Iran—Biography. I. Hickam, Homer, 1943– II. Title. CT275.A736A3 2010 629.450092—dc22 [B] 2009025884 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Letra Libre, Inc. First edition: March 2010 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America. 01 new ansari text:Layout 1 1/8/10 2:34 PM Page v To I l ya , whose innocence and purity of love gives me hope for brighter tomorrows. 01 new ansari text:Layout 1 1/8/10 2:34 PM Page vi “All men have the stars,” he answered, “but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems. For my businessman they were wealth. But all the stars are silent. You—you alone—will have the stars as no one else has them—” The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 01 new ansari text:Layout 1 1/8/10 2:34 PM Page vii Contents Acknowledgments ix Preface xi First Stage An Iranian Girl Growing Up Iranian 3 Revolution 17 Second Stage A Woman of the World The Alpha Ansari System 29 Texas 51 A New Beginning 71 An Old Dream Comes Alive 89 Third Stage A Woman of the Stars Star City 101 Training for the Stars 119 01 new ansari text:Layout 1 1/8/10 2:34 PM Page viii A Patch of Trouble 149 Into Space 169 At Home among the Stars 189 Return to Earth 219 Epilogue 227 Index 231 01 new ansari text:Layout 1 1/8/10 2:34 PM Page ix Acknowledgments riting this book was not easy because I always look to the future Wrather than back at the past. Reliving tough childhood memories is not something I would do voluntarily so I must thank Homer Hickam for encouraging me (and sometimes harassing me) to finish this book. Other- wise, it would only exist in my head and in my scattered journals. I decided to tell my story to bring a voice to all the amazing women in the world, especially to Iranian women who have fought and continue to fight for their freedom, and to Iranians around the world who have left their home- land in search of that freedom and better days. It is sometimes difficult to see the true face of a nation when what is prevalent in the media is a hideous image. I hope this book shows readers that there is another side to the beau- tiful country I left as a teenager and that there are still many Anoushehs who live in Iran with hopes and dreams of a brighter, peaceful future. My dreams might have never come true without the opportunities that the United States of America afforded me, for which I’m forever grateful. I learned the meaning of freedom in my adopted country and I hope that America continues to symbolize freedom and the land of opportunity to people around the world as it did for me. I am who I am today because of the unconditional love and support of my mother, Fakhri Shahidi. She, in many ways, portrays the strong will and 01 new ansari text:Layout 1 1/8/10 2:34 PM Page x x My Dream of Stars survivor spirit of the women of Iran. A very special thanks also goes to my sis- ter Atousa Raissyan, who was my “raison d’être” growing up, her beautiful face and soulful eyes always giving me hope no matter how dire the situation. I would never have been able to start a new life in United States if not for the foresight and guidance of my Aunt Chamsi and Uncle Frank Brown and for that they have my eternal gratitude. I would also like to thank my fa- ther, Houshang Raissian, for keeping my mind open to all the possibilities that life holds for us. A personal note of gratitude is due to my father-in-law, Hosein Ansari, for being like a second father to me and, of course, to Amir Ansari for being a true friend and a brother. Our bond is stronger than blood. My life took a course correction toward the space station on the day I met Peter Diamandis and I’m eternally grateful for his contagious passion and pure friendship. Of course, it was Space Adventures and its president, Eric Anderson, who made my trip possible and I cannot thank him and all the Space Adventures support team enough. I would also like to thank Michael Lopez-Alegria and Mikhail Tyurin, my crewmates, for taking me to my home amongst the stars and Jeffry Williams and Pavel Vinogradoff for returning me home, safe and sound, to my family. My trip would not have been possible without the support of the Russian Space Agency and NASA. I admire all the great men and women who work at both of these agencies for their passion and dedication to space exploration. Finally, I would not be where I am today without the true love and sup- port of my soulmate, Hamid Ansari. He is not only my husband but also my mentor, best friend, and source of energy. I cannot imagine what my life would be like had I not met and married him. Without his resilience and en- thusiasm, my dream of stars would have remained just that, a dream. With him, all my dreams, past, present, and future, can come true. 01 new ansari text:Layout 1 1/8/10 2:34 PM Page xi Preface all this a love story that ends not only with an embrace but a fortune Cgained, a dream fulfilled, and a voyage to the far and magnificent reaches of space. After everything was done and I landed beneath silky para- chutes on the high desert of Kazakhstan, I realized it wasn’t rocket engines that had propelled me to the stars but the infinite power of hopes, dreams, and especially love, which transcends everything, even the universal princi- ples of physics. Wherever I go, I am asked to tell the story of how I flew into space. I am pleased to tell it, yet I fear my words are inadequate to explain the passion, the joy, and sometimes the despair I experienced during every stage of the journey it took to get there from my youth in Iran. I recall watching from the International Space Station the glow of the sun as it began its rise. From my vantage point 220 miles high, I could see the glimmering threads of gold and silver along the edge of our magnificent planet that heralded a new tomorrow. I found myself delighted not only with this glorious apparition, but with all the new tomorrows coming at me, one after the other as I raced around the world, safe inside my aluminum co- coon. When I was in space, I felt free of all the trivial details that can pre- occupy the minds of humanity daily. I had been blessed to not only dream 01 new ansari text:Layout 1 1/8/10 2:34 PM Page xii xii My Dream of Stars of the stars but also to be visiting them. But even in space, I was aware that the light of our tomorrows is sometimes threatened by the darkness of our yesterdays. Ee Although beautiful in its own way, I did not enjoy seeing the sun draw a deep shadow across the planet, snuffing out continents and seas alike. As far as I was concerned, that encroaching darkness represented yesterday. Al- though some say that one’s past is the primary predictor of one’s future, I firmly believe this is not the case—our yesterdays are gone, done, and fin- ished.