Born in 1966 in Mashhad, Iran, Anousheh Ansari is an Iranian-American engineer and also the first Iranian ever in space. In the 1984, Ansari moved to the United States with her family just five years after the Iranian revolution. She studied electrical engineering and computer science and after graduation, began working for a telecommunications company. Along with her husband and her brother in law, she founded a software technology company. She trained as a backup for a Soyuz flight to the International Space Station and just a month before, was elevated to prime crew. Speaking about her space flight, Ansari said “I hope to inspire everyone, especially young people, women, and young girls all over the world, and in middle eastern countries that do not provided women with the same opportunities as men - to not give up on their dreams and to pursue them”. During her nine day stay on the International Space Station she researched the mechanisms behind anemia, how changes in muscles influence lower back pain, and consequences of space radiation in ISS crew members.