Abdul Ahad Mohmand
| Abdul Ahad Mohmand | |
|---|---|
| Intercosmos Research Cosmonaut | |
| Nationality | Afghan |
| Status | Retired |
| Born |
January 1, 1959 Sardah, Afghanistan |
|
Other occupation
|
Pilot |
| Kabul University | |
| Rank | Colonel |
|
Time in space
|
8d 20h 26min |
| Selection | 1988 |
| Missions | Mir EP-3 (Soyuz TM-6/Soyuz TM-5) |
|
Mission insignia
|
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Abdul Ahad Mohmand (, born January 1, 1959) is a former Afghan Air Force aviator who became the first Afghan and fourth Muslim to journey to outer space. He became one of Soyuz TM-6 crew members and spent nine days aboard the Mir space station in 1988 as an Intercosmos Research Cosmonaut. He became the fourth Muslim to visit outer spaces, after Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, Muhammed Faris, and Musa Manarov. During this mission Abdul Ahad Mohmand was the first cosmonaut to use Pushto after he made a telephone call to Afghanistan. Mohmand is also believed to be the first Muslim who took the Qur'an to space.
Mohmand was born on 1 January 1959 in Sardah, in the Ghazni Province of Afghanistan. He belongs to the Mohmand tribe of the Pushtun ethnic group. Mohmand graduated from the Polytechnical University of Kabul and then from the Air Force Academy. He served in the Afghan Air Force (AAF) and later trained in the Soviet Union as a pilot and a professional astronaut.
Along with Commander Vladimir Lyakhov and Flight Engineer Valery Polyakov, Mohmand was part of the Soyuz TM-6 three-man crew, which launched at 04:23 GMT August 29, 1988. Momand's inclusion in the mission was a significant symbol during the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
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