NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nashville is home to a lot of things like country music, hot chicken, honky-tonks, but soon, a new name will be on that list: an astronaut.
Eiman Jahangir, of Nashville, won a seat on a future Blue Origin New Shepard launch, a dream he said has been decades in the making.
“To actually get the call, and say ‘you are going to space,’ I mean it’s still mind-blowing,” said Jahangir.
The trip is made possible through MoonDAO – a group of space enthusiasts on a mission to send more people to space.
“The exciting part of the modern era of space, is that more and more opportunities are rising,” Jahangir told NewsNation local affiliate WKRN.
This is the second time MoonDAO has sent someone to space, possibly marking Nashville’s first.
“I think [I’m the] first MNPS grad, I don’t know, but I think that’s right,” said Jahangir.
Born in Iran, Jahangir immigrated to Nashville at the age of 4. The now 43-year-old discovered his love for space while serving at the Adventure Science Center in Nashville.
“By giving them [students] a place to think and imagine like, then it allows those thoughts and dreams to grow,” said Jahangir.
All these years later, the Adventure Science Center is still special to the doctor. In fact, it’s where he spoke to News 2’s Blake Eason after he received his official invitation to space.
“This has been a dream of mine forever, since working here,” recalled Jahangir.
The doctor said he vividly remembers attending the ‘Mission to Mars’ exhibit back in the 90s.
“I remember that exhibit. I got to put on the space suit,” remembered Jahangir.
Decades later, Jahangir will soon be putting on a real one, which is a dream inspired years after visiting Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County, Florida.
“I personally am just a huge fan of human space exploration,” said Jahangir.
As a doctor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Jahangir qualified to go to space, but the competition to be astronaut was extremely fierce.
In 2009, and again in 2013, he made it to the final round of interviews, but ultimately wasn’t selected.
“I’m not one to give up,” said Jahangir.
After training to be more competitive, Jahangir was finally chosen.
He received the official call right before clinic, and conveniently his brother, Alex, works one floor below him at the hospital, so he was quickly able to share the news.
“[I] ran downstairs, and he and I were jumping up and down, those two people have been with me probably the longest in this journey,” said Jahangir.
It’s been reported that tickets to space have cost millions of dollars, but that’s only if given the opportunity, adding to how competitive and costly space exploration is.
Jahangir said he is passionate about exploring space travel where everyone is invited.
“I think the more people we can get up there, the more diverse, the more disciplined, the better off we’re going to be as a society,” said Jahangir.
While under a strict non-disclosure agreement there weren’t many details Jahangir could share, but he said the next time he’s in West Texas, he will be trading his cowboy hat for a space suit.