Four Crew Members from Four Different Countries Embark on Journey to Space Station

“We’re a united team with a common mission,” radioed NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli from orbit. NASA’s Ken Bowersox, space operations mission chief, expressed his excitement over the launch and the presence of four international crew members. Joining Moghbeli on this six-month mission are Andreas Mogensen from the European Space Agency, Satoshi Furukawa from Japan, and Konstantin Borisov from Russia. The European Space Agency’s director general, Josef Aschbacher, emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the exploration of space.

Each astronaut has a unique background and path that led them to space. Moghbeli, whose parents fled Iran during the 1979 revolution, was born in Germany and raised in New York. She served as a Marine pilot, flying attack helicopters in Afghanistan. Moghbeli, a first-time space traveler, hopes to inspire Iranian girls to dream big and believe in themselves. Mogensen, on the other hand, worked on oil rigs before becoming Denmark’s first astronaut. He believed that drilling in space would be essential in the future, inspired by the movie “Armageddon”. Furukawa, a former surgeon, made it through Japan’s rigorous astronaut selection process and has previously visited the ISS. Borisov, who pursued engineering after studying business, runs a freediving school in Moscow and is also a judge in the sport.

• Moghbeli’s parents fled Iran during the 1979 revolution. Born in Germany and raised on New York’s Long Island, she joined the Marines and flew attack helicopters in Afghanistan. The first-time space traveler hopes to show Iranian girls that they, too, can aim high. “Belief in yourself is something really powerful,” she said before the flight.
• Mogensen worked on oil rigs off the West African coast after getting an engineering degree. He told people puzzled by his job choice that “in the future we would need drillers in space” like Bruce Willis’ character in the killer asteroid film Armageddon. He’s convinced the rig experience led to his selection as Denmark’s first astronaut.
• Furukawa spent a decade as a surgeon before making Japan’s astronaut cut. Like Mogensen, he’s visited the station before.
• Borisov, a space rookie, turned to engineering after studying business. He runs a freediving school in Moscow and judges the sport, in which divers shun oxygen tanks and hold their breath underwater.