The International Space Station rolled out the welcome mat Monday for two Saudi visitors, including the kingdom's first female astronaut.
In this image from NASA TV, Ali al-Qarni, second from left, and Rayyanah Barnawi of Saudi Arabia, second right, have a drink alongside two cosmonauts in the International Space Station, Monday, May 22, 2023. The space station rolled out the welcome mat for the two Saudi visitors, including the kingdom's first female astronaut. – The International Space Station rolled out the welcome mat Monday for two Saudi visitors, including the kingdom's first female astronaut.
Saudi fighter pilot Ali al-Qarni dedicated the visit to everyone back home. “This mission is not just for me and Rayyanah. This mission is also for the people with ambition and dreams.”John Shoffner, a Knoxville, Tennessee, businessman who started a sports car racing team, is paying his own way. Retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is their chaperone. She now works for Axiom Space, the Houston company that organized the 10-day trip, its second to the space station.
Only one other Saudi has flown before in space, a prince who rode on NASA's shuttle Discovery in 1985.The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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