Muhammed Faris

Muhammed Faris was a Syrian Air Force pilot who became the first and, to date, only Syrian citizen to fly in space, launching aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in July 1987 as part of the Interkosmos program to the Mir space station. He spent about eight days in orbit conducting scientific experiments. Faris later became a vocal opponent of the Syrian government during the countrys civil war and left Syria, continuing to speak publicly about the conflict from exile.