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Author Topic:   Cosmonaut Muhammed Faris (1951-2024)
Robert Pearlman
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posted 04-19-2024 07:41 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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Muhammed Faris, first Syrian in space, dies at 72

Muhammed Faris, who was the first cosmonaut from Syria and second Arab to fly into space, has died at the age of 72.

Faris' death on Friday (April 19) was reported by Syrian media. According to the reports, he died as a result of a long illness in Türkiye, where had been living as a refugee since 2012.

Selected in 1985 as part of the Soviet Union's Interkosmos program, Faris lifted off on his first and only spaceflight on July 22, 1987. Launching on board Soyuz TM-3 with cosmonauts Aleksandr Viktorenko and Aleksandr (Pavlovich) Aleksandrov, Faris became the 12th foreign national to fly on a Russian spaceflight and the first to visit the space station Mir.

eurospace
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SpaceCadet1983
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MCroft04
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Jurg Bolli
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kyra
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Lewis007
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SPACEFACTS
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David C
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posted 04-20-2024 01:43 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for David C     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A harsh reminder that progress isn’t inevitable, the world seems to have been moving in the wrong direction for quite a while.

MSS
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posted 04-20-2024 03:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for MSS     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
RIP Muhammed Ahmed.

dom
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posted 04-20-2024 04:29 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for dom   Click Here to Email dom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A principled man who defected from Syria in disgust after the regime which had selected him as a cosmonaut brutally attacked his home town of Aleppo during the civil war. He then lived as a ‘marked man’ at a secret location in Turkey and I sincerely hope no foul play was involved in his sad death…

Kevin T. Randall
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cddfspace
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SkyMan1958
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GACspaceguy
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gareth89
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East-Frisian
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mode1charlie
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issman1
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dss65
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india-mike
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I was very fortunate to meet Muhammed Faris in Germany shortly after his escape from Syria. We were able to talk to each other outside of a congress via an interpreter.

This person had an attitude towards his government that I greatly admired. As a high-ranking military member with privileges, he turned his back on his homeland because he could not support a regime's decisions.

Last year I met him and his son again in Bursa, Türkiye. We sat almost directly next to each other at the opening event of a congress. Muhammed Faris recognized me straight away and we greeted each other warmly. The subsequent communication took place via his son.

My deepest condolences go out to his family. Rest in peace Muhammed Faris.

MartinAir
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Mike Isbell
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Neil DC
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posted 05-02-2024 03:28 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Neil DC   Click Here to Email Neil DC     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Also had the opportunity to meet Al-Faris and his son in Bursa, Turkey. He was honorary host of the ASE event. As a sign of respect for his adopted country he changed his surname to Farisoglu.

He did look a little frail, but was spending his time promoting space flight at schools in Turkey. He told me that his back-up, Munir Habib was still in Syria, working with the current regime.

Condolences to his family.

By the way, his bio says he was the first to take soil from his home country into space. When the Cuban cosmonaut flew in 1980, he reportedly took soil from the Bay of Pigs with him to Salyut 6.

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