Gregory Olsen
| Gregory Olsen | |
|---|---|
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| Space Adventures Tourist | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
April 20, 1945 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
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Other occupation
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Entrepreneur |
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Fairleigh Dickinson University (B.S., B.Eng, M.S.) University of Virginia (Ph.D.) |
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Time in space
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9d 21h 15m |
| Missions | Soyuz TMA-7 / Soyuz TMA-6 |
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Mission insignia
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Gregory Hammond "Greg" Olsen (born April 20, 1945) is an American entrepreneur, engineer and scientist who, in October 2005, became the third private citizen to make a self-funded trip to the International Space Station with the company Space Adventures.
Olsen was the co-founder and chairman of Sensors Unlimited Inc., a company developing optoelectronic devices such as sensitive near-infrared (NIR) and shortwave-infrared (SWIR) cameras. One of Sensors Unlimited's major customers is NASA. Currently, Olsen is President of GHO Ventures, LLC, in Princeton, New Jersey, where he manages his angel investments, South African winery, Montana ranch, and performs numerous speaking engagements to encourage children – especially minority and female children – to consider careers in science or engineering. He also is a physics professor at Rider University.
Olsen, born in Brooklyn, New York, was the son of an IBEW Local 3 electrician. He graduated from Ridgefield Park High School, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey in 1962. After being written off as a failure by teachers due to poor grades in high school, Olsen planned to join the United States Army until he was counseled to try college for several months. Through an IBEW Local 3 scholarship, Olsen attempted college, kept his grades high, and graduated magna cum laude with multiple degrees from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He later graduated with a PhD in materials science from the University of Virginia.
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