Abdulmohsen Al-Bassam

Summary

Abdulmohsen Hamad Al-Bassam is a retired Royal Saudi Air Force officer and a former astronaut. He was the back-up payload specialist for Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on STS-51-G.

Abdulmohsen Hamad Al-Bassam
Born (1948-12-12) December 12, 1948 (age 75)
NationalitySaudi
Occupation(s)Fighter pilot, Royal Saudi Air Force
Space career
Astronaut
RankGeneral, Royal Saudi Air Force
SelectionApril, 1985

He was born on December 12, 1948, in Unayzah, Saudi Arabia.

He graduated from King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh (bachelor of science in Air Science) and was a fighter pilot at the Royal Saudi Air Force. Selected in April 1985, he served as the back-up payload specialist for STS-51-G Discovery (June 17–24, 1985) on which Arabsat-1B was deployed. With the conclusion of this flight, he retired from active duty as a payload specialist. He later served as the Air Force Attache at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in London, United Kingdom.

He is married and has two sons and three daughters.

External links edit

  • Spacefacts biography of Abdulmohsen Hamad Al-Bassam