Once A National Hero, Syria’s Lone Cosmonaut Is Now A Refugee In Turkey

More than 2 million Syrians have fled to Turkey, driven out by the fighting that erupted in their homeland in 2011. But none can claim an odyssey quite like that of Mohammed Faris.

As Syria’s first and only cosmonaut, Mohammed Faris rocketed into orbit with two Soviet colleagues in 1987. He conducted experiments and photographed his country from space. By the time he returned to Syria, most everyone in the country knew his name.

Yet Faris is now a refugee himself, fleeing to Turkey after speaking out against the government’s efforts to crush the 2011 uprising. He ended up in Istanbul, much better off than most, but a refugee all the same.

Once A National Hero, Syria’s Lone Cosmonaut Is Now A Refugee In Turkey

Photo: Peter Kenyon/NPR

Reblog if you’ve made amazing friends online and are grateful for their existence

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genna-ivanovich

4 years ago

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genna-ivanovich

5 years ago

My Soviet space tat.

(you can’t make it out, but they’re all pretty colours.)

(submission from pretense-of-talent)

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genna-ivanovich

4 years ago

Cat Circles, The Amazing Phenomenon In Which A Cat Will Deliberately Sit In A Circle On The Floor.

Cat Circles, the amazing phenomenon in which a cat will deliberately sit in a circle on the floor.

Photos via Reddit

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genna-ivanovich

5 years ago

April 12 - The Cosmonautics Day, Or Space Science Day

April 12 - the Cosmonautics Day, or Space Science Day

May the Space be with you!

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genna-ivanovich

4 years ago

happy hanukkah!!!!

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genna-ivanovich

5 years ago

I’ve been so busy lately, I completely forgot about the Russian spacewalk today. Gennady Padalka and Yuri Malenchenko are outside today moving the Strela crane from the Russian Pirs module to the Zarya module, launching a satellite and installing meteoroid debris shields. They’re in the process of launching the satellite. You can watch here.

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genna-ivanovich

5 years ago

if u feel sad right now look at this bunny eating a flower