The Los Angeles Post
U.S. World Business Lifestyle
Today: March 18, 2025
Today: March 18, 2025

'I've imagined being this person for a long time': Doctor, space enthusiast takes suborbital flight

'I've imagined being this person for a long time': Doctor, space enthusiast takes suborbital flight
September 05, 2024

    NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) -- Among billions of people, only about 700 can say they've visited space.

As of last week, a doctor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center can add himself to the list.

Dr. Eiman Jahangir is a cardiologist and lifelong space enthusiast.

"I mean, ever since I was little I was infatuated by space," said Dr. Eiman Jahangir.

Jahangir, 44, told me about volunteering at the Adventure Science Center when he was younger. He said a Mission to Mars exhibit sticks out in his memory.

"I was like people are going to go to Mars?! Because, at that time, NASA was working on their plans to send people to Mars," Jahangir said.

On Thursday, Aug. 29, Jahangir and five other civilians boarded Blue Orbit's New Shepard reusable space vehicle. When they blasted off into space at 2,200 mph, Jahangir fulfilled a dream.

"I've imagined being this person for a long time, and there was no guarantee I would get here," he said.

In the 90s, Jahangir โ€” a driven student at Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School โ€” committed to himself that he'd get to space someday. Over the past two decades, Jahangir pursued becoming a NASA astronaut, and twice he was a finalist.

Earlier this year, he finally got his ticket to space through the online space community MoonDAO, which crowdfunded his seat. He was one of 2,200 ordinary people from around the world who entered to win a seat on this trip.

I asked him what it was like looking back at Earth. He said he was struck by how dark it was around them.

"You have this beautiful bright blue-white majestic Earth that protects us all and then right there like a line, it just turns dark. It was incredible. You know, I can close my eyes and still see that very vividly," he said.

In addition to bringing Vanderbilt swag on board, Jahangir brought a device to collect data about heart and respiratory rates in space.

Jahangir hopes that through his experience he can encourage the next generation of dreamers to never give up on their goals.

"I was always told that you come up with a goal and then you persist. You work hard toward it. You break it off into small pieces and you do what you can. Sometimes those opportunities arise and what you need to do is be prepared for those opportunities," he said.

Jahangir is the first graduate of Metro Nashville Public Schools and the first Iranian man to go to space.

Related Articles

NASA strikes deal over layoffs of recent hires Astronauts waiting for months to return home speak with Anderson Cooper about life in space Saudi educator known for charity and prisoner work wins $1 million Global Teacher Prize Police arrest elementary speech educator for allegedly sexually assaulting students
Share This

Popular

Crime|Entertainment|Europe|Health|Political|World

North Macedonia appeals for calm as nightclub fire deaths trigger protests

North Macedonia appeals for calm as nightclub fire deaths trigger protests
Americas|Crime|Entertainment|Political

Peru declares an emergency and deploys the army as violence surges in the capital

Peru declares an emergency and deploys the army as violence surges in the capital
Celebrity|Entertainment|Sports

Heat-Knicks game is delayed after Tracy Morgan gets sick at Madison Square Garden

Heat-Knicks game is delayed after Tracy Morgan gets sick at Madison Square Garden
Arts|Entertainment|Political|US

Trump uses Kennedy Center visit to criticize the venue and tout his efforts to remake it

Trump uses Kennedy Center visit to criticize the venue and tout his efforts to remake it

Technology

Political|Science|Technology|US

Explaining Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams' unexpected stay aboard the ISS

Explaining Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams' unexpected stay aboard the ISS
Political|Science|Technology|US

NASA's stuck astronauts are finally on their way back to Earth after 9 months in space

NASA's stuck astronauts are finally on their way back to Earth after 9 months in space
Political|Technology|US

Arizona Supreme Court taps AI avatars to make the judicial system more publicly accessible

Arizona Supreme Court taps AI avatars to make the judicial system more publicly accessible
Business|Science|Technology

History-making Blue Ghost lunar lander sends one last message from the moon

History-making Blue Ghost lunar lander sends one last message from the moon

Access this article for free.

Already have an account? Sign In