Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad
Photo: Reuters
Ahmadinejad wants to be Iran's first astronaut
Iranian president declares he is willing to sacrifice his life for Islamic Republic's space program
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he's ready to be the first Iranian astronaut sent into space as part of Iran's goal of manned space flight.
Ahmadinejad says he's willing to sacrifice his life for Iran's ambitious space program.
Related stories:
- Iran says aims to put man in space by 2019
- Iran launches observation satellite
- Did Iran really launch monkey into space?
His comments were reported on Monday by the official IRNA news agency.
Iran sent a monkey into space last Monday, describing the launch a successful step toward Tehran's plan to send an astronaut into space within the next five to six years.
The monkey named "Pishgam," or "Pioneer" in Farsi, reportedly traveled 72 miles into space and then safely returned to Earth.
In 2010, Iran said it launched an Explorer rocket into space carrying a mouse, a turtle and worms.
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
