Officially, Rayyanah Barnawi Is The 600th Person To Orbit The Planet

Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut, will lead Axiom-2 along with pilot John Shoffner and Ali AlQarni, a Saudi Space Commission employee, who will serve as the first mission specialist. In sequence, Shoffner and AlQarni are the 598th and 599th persons to orbit Earth as they are both taking their first trips. Being the second mission expert, Barnawi receives an even number.

It is crucial to emphasize that we are talking about circumnavigating the globe right now. The 32 passengers that traveled on board Blue Origin's New Shepard must be included in the total number of humans who have passed the Kármán line, the arbitrary 100 km (61 mi) border between Earth and space. These suborbital flights sent passengers into space and then immediately returned them.

"I never imagined that I would travel to space, but it also seems like a dream come true! Naturally, it's an overpowering emotion," Barnawi remarked in a video made before the event. "I genuinely feel as though I am speaking for all Saudi aspirations. Each and every female researcher's as well! Being allowed to travel to space and continue to pursue your passions is an enormous privilege.

The 12-day Axiom-2 expedition is jam-packed with research activities. Some of them concentrate on uncommon meteorological occurrences like sprites and jets. Others, such as test suits that lessen the effects of microgravity, are worn by the astronauts themselves. However, there are also several studies in the biological sciences, such as those on the impact of microgravity on cancer and stem cells. Those are Barnawi's particular areas of expertise. After receiving her master's, she spent nine years at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre conducting cancer stem cell research.

Shoffner will spend some of his time to reveal the results of a Crayola-sponsored painting and poetry competition that was available to kids from all across the world. Shoffner is a race car driver who has wanted to travel into space since he was a little boy. AlQarni and Barnawi will engage in conversations with Saudi Arabian youngsters in an effort to pique their curiosity about STEM fields of study.

During a pre-launch news conference, AlQarni stated, "We're going to be undertaking three education awareness exercises with the youngsters. It will be a live event, which will be fantastic for them because it will provide them a great chance to compare their ground-based data with what we will have aboard the ISS. To their temporary residence in orbit, AlQarni and Barnawi are also bringing a taste of their own nation.

In response to a query from collectSPACE, AlQarni stated, "We are bringing Saudi coffee and dates to enjoy with the astronauts on board the ISS. Barnawi's grandmother, who was unable to witness the launch but gave her okay for Barnawi to travel into space, handed Barnawi a Saudi flag and some earrings.

The necklace Whitson wore at her wedding and subsequently flew on her three prior trips has been flown once more. Shoffner made a decision that embodies his enduring desire to get to space.

"GiGi," Ax-2's "fifth crew member" and the mission's "zero-g indicator," was the only other "astronaut" present in the spaceship. Axiom Space and Build-A-Bear Workshop collaborated to create the cuddly bear, which was decked out in a small replica of the Axiom prototype AxEMU spacesuit that the business is creating for NASA astronauts to use on the Artemis III moon landing in 2025.

In order for businesses like Axiom to run commercial orbiting facilities once the International Space Station is decommissioned, NASA's vision includes private missions like Ax-2. Ax-2 is the second mission for Dragon Freedom, which was used to transport Crew-4 from and to the space station on behalf of SpaceX.

"At the age of eight, I made a model of the Gemini spacecraft. I still possess one from 1963, which was one of the tiny astronauts that could emerge from it. So, I'm taking one of those small men, possibly Ed White, into space once more," he remarked.

"Rayyanah is an outstanding researcher. We are quite happy to have her on board the space station carrying out some of the same sorts of research in orbit, Commander Whitson said. She has conducted stem cell and breast cancer studies. Early in June, Axiom-2 is anticipated to return to Earth and splash down in the Atlantic.