Iran's President Wants to be Country's 1st Astronaut

[Toramana]

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may be headed to space one day, if a recent public statement is to be believed.
Speaking at an exhibition of Iran's space achievements in Tehran, the Islamic Republic's president said he would be the first human launched to space aboard an Iranian rocket, the Mehr news agency reported.
"I am ready to be the first human to be sent to space by Iranian scientists," Ahmadinejad said.
The comment came just a week after Iran launched a live monkey into space inside a capsule named Pishgam ("Pioneer" in Farsi), which was lofted aboard a suborbital rocket.
"Sending living things to space is the result of Iranian efforts and dedication of thousands of Iranian professional scientists," Ahmadinejad said, according to the Mehr news agency.
Iranian officials said the monkey's launch was a scientific precursor to sending humans to space, though international experts have been skeptical, worrying that the same rocket technology used in these experiments could be applied to launch ballistic missiles carrying nuclear warheads.
Ahmadinejad dismissed those concerns and said Iranian scientists should be on the lookout for international sabotage efforts on its space program, according to the Mehr news agency.
"We should admit that some [powers] do not tolerate Iranian greatness and growth. Iranians [have] incited devils' hatred by Iranian idealism, perfectionism, and being human," he said.
If Ahmadinejad does eventually go to space, he will not be the first Iranian to do so. That distinction is held by Iranian-American engineer and entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari, who paid to visit the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2006. She was the first, and so far the only, female space tourist.

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[Kushan Prince]

Lol how sad. Iran brags about how they ate the most developed Muslim country and are exceeding in technology and not one person from there has gone into space. Even arabs Turks and an Afghan have gone into space, all before an Iranian.

[faye]

even in the 70's iran was more developed than afghanistan. so what has going to space got to do with the standard of living of a country?
have you been to india? they have done space travel but the majority of the country is a shambles.
some of you guys like to be negative about iran, but it has the only leadership that has stood up to the west and israel.
you start bragging when your people stop fighting each other, rich stop stealing aid off the poor and afghanistan gets decent governance and are as developed as iran.

what is the use of space travel when your people are starving?

[Kushan Prince]

even in the 70's iran was more developed than afghanistan. so what has going to space got to do with the standard of living of a country?
have you been to india? they have done space travel but the majority of the country is a shambles.
some of you guys like to be negative about iran, but it has the only leadership that has stood up to the west and israel.
you start bragging when your people stop fighting each other, rich stop stealing aid off the poor and afghanistan gets decent governance and are as developed as iran.

what is the use of space travel when your people are starving?

Faye, stop being a wise guy. You should know well that way Iran is threatening the west. If you mean threatening them with missiles and dilebertly announcing to nuke isreal, that is unislamic. You shouldn't declare war with other nations because you don't approve of their agenda. Also if you knew what Iran is doing to innocent pashtuns like hanging and beating them in the streets of Tehran, then your opinions would change.

[faye]

i have been to iran and afghanistan, so how am i being the 'wise guy'? because i have personal experience?
iran is standing up FOR the west? how so?
when did ahmadinejad threaten to nuke israel, since iran claims to have no nukes?

well, the taliban did the same. your own people have done the same to their own, which is also 'unislamic'. we have many refugees from afghanistan, in australia because of abuses and persecution by other afghans, mainly taliban, apparently.
i didn't say iran is perfect.

[SiiNii]

So will the Iranian space shuttle have a 8 track and CD player like their stealth fighter or will they upgrade to XM satellite radio since they'll be in low earth orbit?

[Kushan Prince]

Sorry i meant "Threatening them" typo

[Kushan Prince]

i have been to iran and afghanistan, so how am i being the 'wise guy'? because i have personal experience?
iran is standing up FOR the west? how so?
when did ahmadinejad threaten to nuke israel, since iran claims to have no nukes?

well, the taliban did the same. your own people have done the same to their own, which is also 'unislamic'. we have many refugees from afghanistan, in australia because of abuses and persecution by other afghans, mainly taliban, apparently.
i didn't say iran is perfect.

Well you have point there. But i read an article a year back and how Iran warned Israel and or they would attack them. Iran has missiles no denying that. I know our people have done the same but its mainly from the Taliban like you said. Although what Iran is doing to Afghans and other ethnic groups is unislamic, why prosecute people who come there for work?

[faye]

if you mean this supposed threat....
"WIPED OFF THE MAP" - The Rumor of the Century by Arash Norouzi