Sultan bin Salman: the first Arab in space

[Space Flight - UAE]. [The Caravan. Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The First Arab Muslim Astronaut].

€ 350.00

Very rare issue of the Caravan, largely devoted to Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud (1956-), who was both the first Arab and the first muslim in space. The long article, which was written shortly after Sultan bin Salman's space mission, offers fascinating information about his training and his time in space, and is accompanied by beautiful pictures. The magazine also includes two long articles about the city of Al-Ula, and the papermaking industry. We have not been able to find the present issue of the magazine anywhere else.

Sultan bin Salman, the second son of King Salman of Saudi Arabia (1935), was employed as the payload specialist aboard the American STS-51-G Space Shuttle mission, which launched on 17 June 1985. The goal was to put three communication satellites into orbit. One of these was Arabsat-1B, which was to provide communication services for the Arab states. The mission was successful and Arabsat stayed in use until 1992. Afterwards, Sultan bin Salman became a pilot for the Royal Saudi Air Force.

The corners and edges of the wrappers are slightly scuffed. Otherwise in very good condition.