JAMES BAGIAN: ARMENIAN "GREETING" FROM SPACE

[Yervant1]

JAMES BAGIAN: ARMENIAN "GREETING" FROM SPACE

 

News from Armenia and Diaspora - Noyan Tapan

23-01-2013 00:02:58 | USA |

 

Many people know that James Bagian is the world's only American

astronaut of Armenian descent. The former doctor, engineer, athlete,

pilot and current Director of the VA National Center for Patient Safety

doesn't have special ties with Armenia, but his fellow Armenians feel

a sense of pride when they hear his last name.

 

The first time Armenians heard of James Bagian was in 1981. Although

the U.S. and the USSR were in a Cold War, the Soviet and American

governments discussed the possibility of organizing a joint space

shuttle flight as a show of good will. The Soviet astronaut was

29-year old Armenian from Ashtarak, Vladimir Gevorgyan, while the U.S.

 

astronaut was 29-year old James Bagian from Philadelphia. As a

response to this, the U.S. "Armenian Observer" made a joke and asked

if Gevorgyan and Bagian "were going to speak Armenian in space".

 

Unfortunately, this project was not implemented. Despite his

qualification as a probe astronaut, the Soviet government did not let

Vladimir Gevorgyan go on the space shuttle flight (Gevorgyan died in

2008 at 56 years of age). His fellow Armenian, James Bagian, was more

successful He has been a member of the group of U.S. astronauts since

1980 and attracted Armenians' attention once again when he joined

the "Challenger" space shuttle in 1986. But in the end, Bagian did

not take part in the space shuttle flight and he was fortunate. As

everybody knows, the "Challenger" space shuttle blew up two minutes

after launching. The fact that Bagian did not join the "Challenger"

reminded many Armenians that it is not right to joke about the

misfortune of Armenians.

 

James Bagian was famous among Armenians and people all over the world

thanks to his first space shuttle flight in 1989. It was March 13-18

that year when Bagian flew to space in the "Discovery" space shuttle

as an expert in medical-biological research as part of the "Space

Shuttle" program. The flight took four days, 23 hours and 38 minutes.

 

As the shuttle flew over Armenia, the astronaut uttered the words

"voghchuyn" (greetings) and "khaghaghutyun" (peace) in Armenian. Those

days Armenians were living with the hopes of the liberation of Artsakh

and the appearance of their fellow Armenian in space filled them with

new spirits. In addition to that, it was during those days when Zori

Balayan met with Bagian in the U.S. and said that Bagian had roots

tracing back to Artsakh.

 

James Bagian's grandfather, Kevork Bagian, was from Karabakh. James'

father, Philip Bagian, was a pilot, captain and had received the

"Silver Cross" medal during WWII. His son James (born from his

American mother Rose) was born on February 25, 1952 in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania. James attended the Central High School. He was extremely

hard-working with many interests and capabilities. In 1970, he was

accepted to the medical college of Philadelphia and practiced sports

with his dad at the pilot school. In 1973 James Bagian received his

Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel

University and worked at the 3M factory in Bristol, Pennsylvania.

 

James continued his education at the Thomas Jefferson University

and received his doctorate in medicine in 1977. In 1974-1978 Bagian

participated in many contests and received awards and athletic

rankings. In 1976-1978 he worked as a mechanical engineer at the U.S.

 

Naval Air Test Center based in Maryland. In 1978 he worked as a flight

surgeon and research medical officer at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space

Center, while concurrently completing studies at the USAF Flight

Surgeons School and USAF School of Aerospace Medicine in San Antonio,

Texas. In July 1980 Bagian became a NASA astronaut. Bagian received his

Professional Engineers Certification in 1986, and was board-certified

in aerospace medicine by the American College of Preventive Medicine

in 1987.

 

James Bagian left NASA in 1995 and is currently involved in

 

professional biomedical research. He is married to Tandi Benson and

they have four children. He loves riding bicycles, walking tourism,

hiking, as well as swimming, parachuting and repairing cars. Bagian

is also a member of the Detroit Science Center's Board of Trustees.

 

ARTSVI BAKHCHINYAN -

[onjig]

Interesting, first I've read of this. Thanks

[Yervant1]

Armedia, Armenia

April 14 2019

My Family Was Always Proud of its Armenian Heritage: James Bagian - The Only Armenian in the World, who Has Traveled into Space (EXCLUSIVE)

"Armedia" IAA presents an exclusive interview with James Bagian, the only Armenian in the world, who has traveled into Space.

- Mr Bagian, what made you want to become an astronaut?

I had always been interested in aviation from the time I was a little boy. My father, Philip Bagian, had been a highly decorated fighter pilot in World War 2 and I suppose I developed my interest from the stories he would tell my brother and me about the enjoyment, challenge, and satisfaction he experienced from flying. Having developed an avid interest in aviation at such a young age it was only natural to become interested in spaceflight and becoming an astronaut.

-You have logged over 337 hours in space. What is the outer space like? What feelings did You experience?

-Seeing the Earth from space with your own eyes gives a much greater appreciation for the planet than pictures or videos are capable of imparting. The beauty and seeing the Earth, its land masses, and oceans with no political boundaries definitely impresses one that all the peoples of the Earth and their activities ultimately can impact everyone regardless of where they live.

I was also impressed with the tremendous technical achievement that launching a spacecraft is and how fortunate I was to have been allowed to make my flights as well as the debt of thanks I felt to all of the people whose good work made the experience possible for me to have.

-What is the most memorable moment for you in space?

-I most vividly remember the first time I was in orbit and looked out of the window at the horizon to see the thin blue line that was the atmosphere that envelopes the Earth. It was a beautiful electric blue color and it was particularly striking to me because of how small and fragile it appeared especially as I contemplated how all the people on Earth depend on it for our survival every day.

-Please, tell us about your family and their Armenian traditions.

-Grandparents on my father’s side emigrated to the United States just after 1900. My father and his brothers and sister were the first ones in their family born in the United States. They were always proud of their Armenian heritage and I fondly remember spending times together with my family enjoying Armenian delicacies and hearing from my father’s parents stories about "the old country".

-As we know, you have not been to Armenia yet. Would you like to ever visit Armenia?

-You are correct, I have never been to Armenia but I would be interested to do so.

https://armedia.am/eng/news/70117/my-family-was-always-proud-of-its-armenian-heritage-james-bagian-the-only-armenian-in-the-world-who-has-traveled-into-space-exclusive.html