Credit: Palgrave Macmillan
My Dream of Stars – From Daughter of Iran to Space Pioneer by Anousheh Ansari with Homer Hickam; Palgrave Macmillan; New York, New York: $16.00 (softcover); $25.00 (hardcover); 2010.
This is a love story…anchored here on Earth with her soulmate, Hamid – as well as in the stars of space.
Anousheh Ansari flew to the International Space Station in September 2006. It was a self-funded flight made possible by a Russian Soyuz capsule and space tourism operator, Space Adventures. She became the first-ever female commercial spaceflight participant.
But as the reader discovers, this is a travelogue of passion – a journey that, as she notes, encompasses various stages of life, a voyage not propelled by rocket fuel but by willpower, perseverance, and love. From an Iranian girl, to a Muslim woman of the world, and then a woman of the stars, Anousheh Ansari’s trajectory is inspirational and is well-told in this book.
Immigrating to America and becoming a businesswoman, Anousheh built a lucrative computer technology firm in America from the ground up. Anousheh and her family provided title sponsorship for the Ansari X Prize, a $10 million cash award for the first non-governmental organization to launch a reusable piloted spacecraft that could rocket to the edge of space twice within two weeks.
The reader will enjoy the candid, often humorous, behind-the-scenes view of training at Russia’s Star City. On launch day, she admits to being consumed by a Zen-like feeling of being ready to fly or die. Stuffed in with her cosmonaut colleagues in the Soyuz capsule and en route to the International Space Station, Anousheh achieved her dream of becoming a woman of space – but a euphoria truthfully counterbalanced with: “I was also sick as a dying dog.”
Life onboard the ISS is detailed – from getting down to business by rendezvousing with the onboard toilet to window watching the world go by — followed by a fiery Soyuz reentry to Earth.
The book is a poignant read by Anousheh Ansari with “Rocket Boy” Homer Hickam of October Sky fame.
With the last page turned, you’ll better appreciate Anousheh’s road taken, a full-time entrepreneur as well as becoming an ex-cosmonaut. But this volume also underscores the import of the words on her mission patch: Imagine. Be the Change. Inspire.
For more information on the book, go to:
http://us.macmillan.com/mydreamofstars
Note: You’ll also find a wealth of photos and background on Anousheh Ansari by visiting her website at:
http://www.anoushehansari.com/
By Leonard David