Vanderbilt cardiologist and Nashville resident Dr. Eiman Jahangir was part of a six-person crew that launched into space Thursday morning aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft.
The roundtrip flight launched from Blue Origin’s West Texas base and returned to Earth by parachute, according to the company.
Jahangir and his crewmates were in space above the Karman Line, the invisible boundary recognized as where space begins, and separated from the base of the rocket before returning back into the Earth’s stratosphere.
The six civilians landed safely in their pod as their screams of joy were heard over the broadcast.
Jahangir, an associate professor at Vanderbilt University Medical School and graduate of Metro Nashville Public Schools, won the coveted spot in a contest for a digital currency organization after applying through NASA and being rejected five times.
“For me being a public high school graduate, being able to show kids we can do anything we want, right?” Jahangir explained. “It doesn’t matter where you go to school, what city you’re in. Representation matters.”
Others who’ve flown this mission include Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Star Trek actor William Shatner.