Donate

Jenny Norton

The crew and back-up team for Ahad Momand's mission. Momand is third from the left.

The only Afghan to ever fly in space almost didn’t make it back to Earth

Science

Ahad Momand is the first — and only — Afghan to have gone into space. He was a national hero after his flight in 1988, but it nearly ended in tragedy after a computer malfunction stranded him in orbit without food or water.

Backstory of Russian-Georgian conflict

Tell us about your experience accessing The World

We want to hear your feedback so we can keep improving our website, theworld.org. Please fill out this quick survey and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be anonymous). Thanks for your time!

We respect your time, attention and privacy

This is a news website, not a click casino. We do NOT employ deceptive behaviors, display annoying ads or use third party cookies and trackers to monetize your visit or help advertisers track you across the internet.

Simply, we ask that you would consider a donation to support the journalism we produce every weekday. Thank you.

This is The World

The World is a public radio program and podcast that crosses borders and time zones to bring home the stories that matter.

Follow The World

Subscribe to The World’s Latest Edition podcast for free using your favorite podcast player: