'Dream the impossible'

2006-10-03 07:15

Star City, Russia - After fulfilling a childhood dream - with a $25m price tag - the world's first female space tourist said on Monday she would seize any chance to head for the stars again.

"I enjoyed this trip so much that I will grab any chance I get to do the flight again, whether it is to the ISS (International Space Station) or flying to space through other means," Anousheh Ansari said at Star City, the Russian cosmonaut training centre outside Moscow.

Asari's remarks came three days after the Iranian-born American touched down in the steppes of Kazakhstan with two male crew members following 11 days in space, including eight aboard the space station.

"Of course this was a dream I was fulfilling for myself," she told reporters, "but at the same time I wanted to use it as a means to bring more interest and awareness about human space exploration."

The other message of her groundbreaking flight, Ansari said, was "to inspire women and girls around the world and to show them they can dream big and they can dream the impossible, and if they really want it in their hearts and they work hard, it will come true".

Asari said her space trip was an eye-opening experience that left her determined to campaign for peace and the preservation of the natural world.

"It was wonderful to be able to see where I was born and where I lived and grew up from the station," she told reporters.

"From there I realised my countries are not very different from any other place on Earth.

"I'm hoping to take this message to the people of all the countries to make sure that they understand that we're all living on Earth as inhabitants of Earth."

She said she had realised the need for people to "take care of this precious gift that we have and not to ruin what we have and destroy our home with wars and other disasters that we create on Earth".

- AFP