IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2011 - 19

ment in Ansari's voice as she talks about
ment Ansari remembers vividwas fortunate. Not everyone
"walking in the same place that Yuri Gagaly and she recalls how she was
in Iran would have the same
rin had walked."
watching CNN while getting
fortune in their families."
She trained for almost seven months,
ready for work. After the news
Ansari immigrated to the
learning Russian as well as studying the
report, she knew one thing: "If
United States in 1984 at the
Anousheh Ansari
different systems onboard the Soyuz and
there was no other way I could
age of 16. She settled with an
the International Space Station. She had
participate as a space flight participant, all
aunt in Northern Virginia, outside Washto understand how the systems funcI needed was a lot of money, which I didn't
ington, D.C., where she began school the
tioned, how to troubleshoot, and how to
have at the time." This became "the moday after she arrived. The move to this
make small repairs. In addition, there was
tivation and inspiration" Ansari would use
new country was an adjustment for Ansari,
the physical training to prepare the body
to become a successful entrepreneur.
who, having attended a French Catholic
for space flight-she underwent a mediWhen MCI's engineering department
school in Tehran, did not speak English. It
cal examination and, as she says, "parrelocated to Richardson, Texas, Ansari
was challenging, she says, but at the same
ticipated in lots of centrifuge, zero gravity
and her husband opted to stay behind.
time, she liked her new environment, and
flights, and survival training."
Instead, they left MCI and in 1993 started
with the help of intensive language classes
Three weeks before the launch, while
their own consulting company. It quickly
over the summer, Ansari graduated from
Ansari was packing her suitcases and pregained momentum and soon MCI was one
her new American high school on time.
paring to leave Star City, a medical condiof their largest clients. Ansari laughs as she
Ansari majored in electronics and comtion arose that prevented Enomoto from
says, "Ironically, to grow our company and
puter engineering as an undergraduate at
flying. When Ansari received the phone
make it successful, we had to be where our
George Mason University and went on to
call asking her if she'd like to take his
customers were." She and her husband
receive her master's in electrical engineerseat, she says she almost fell out of her
relocated to Texas where they continued
ing with an emphasis in communications
chair. As a result of the short turnaround,
to grow Telecom Technologies, branching
from George Washington University. At this
Ansari did not have a chance to prepare
into custom software development and ulpoint, although Ansari's interests included
any special experiments or research, but
timately developing five product lines.
physics and astrophysics, her focus was on
she did have two small experiments to
With the successful sale of Telecom
finding a good job and a secure career. Anconduct by herself and she also participatTechnologies, Ansari became a multimilsari says, "I came from Iran with my family.
ed in four experiments for the European
lionaire and began looking seriously into
We basically came with nothing and started
Space Agency. Perhaps even more importhe Russian Space Program.
life with the help of my aunt. So, the first
tantly, Ansari's blog, detailing the minuIn 2006 Ansari traveled to Star City,
thing on my mind and the first thing my
tiae of "everyday life" aboard the shuttle,
home of Russia's cosmonaut training cenmom reminded me every day was, 'You
was a huge hit back on Earth.
ter, to train as the backup to Japanese flyer
need to get a job.'" At the time, the telecomOf her time in space, Ansari says, "It
Daisuke Enomoto. Although not schedmunications field was growing rapidly and
touches you on so many different levels.
uled to fly, she was thrilled to be sitting in
Ansari used an internship at MCI Telecom
It makes you feel empowered and humthe same classroom as other astronauts
to springboard into a full-time job.
bled at the same time. It makes you feel
just the same. You can still hear the exciteStill, Ansari never lost sight of her desire
you can do anything, that the
to go to space: "I had no idea how
world is not so big, so you can
I was going to make my dream
accomplish anything you want....
come true, but, nevertheless, that
You have a better sense of how
didn't stop me from inquiring
small and insignificant we are
into possibilities, looking for ways
compared to the entire universe.
to get into space, and creating an
We have a dream of being the
environment around me-at work
center of the universe, and when
with posters, pictures, and aryou're out there you understand
ticles-to try to stay in touch and
your place better, but at the same
satisfy that part of my life and that
time you are part of something
passion that I had."
much bigger, and to me that was
Then, in 1991, Dennis Tito ana very good feeling, being part of
nounced that he was going to fly
a universe much bigger than the
to the International Space Station
world I know around me."
on the Russian Soyuz. It is a mo- Ansari communicates with her family before her flight.

DECEMBER 2011

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

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