Namira Salim – First Pakistani Astronaut
The First Woman in Space was Russian Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova.
Namira Salim became a symbol of women empowerment in Pakistan when in August 2006, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the government of Pakistan launched her as the “First Pakistani Astronaut.”
Later in 2008, she presented her sub-orbital space flight training certificate to the then president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf. Since then, as a private citizen, she has made several significant contributions to Pakistan’s space programme and worked in close association with Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco).
Image: DAWN
Did You Know That – The first woman in space was Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. Following her footsteps were Indian astronaut Kalpana Chawla, Judith Resnik and Peggy Whitson, who has five space expeditions to her credit.
Hailing from Karachi, Namira is an impassioned traveller. She is the first Pakistani to have travelled to the North and South poles and the first Asian to skydive (in tandem) from Mount Everest.
Image: DAWN
- She hoisted a peace flag on behalf of the nation at the two poles of the world.
- In 2013, she was awarded the ‘Power of 100 Trailblazer Award’ in London for her efforts to promote international peace and harmony.
- In 2015, she founded her non-profit ‘Space Trust’ to promote Space as the New Frontier for Peace, particularly to support the work of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs.
- In September 2018, she, along with her UN partners, established the first space conference during the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, when all world leaders gather in New York.
Image: DAWN
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