Medal of the (SFM)Media Office
The Honored Number (17) Major General “Mohamed Fares,” Syrian Astronaut
- Mohammad Fares was born in Aleppo on May 26, 1951, married from Ms Hend Akil, with four children.
- He graduated from the Military Aviation College at the Syrian Military Academy in 1973.
- He joined the Syrian Air Force, eventually achieving the rank of Major General, serving as an advisor in military aviation and specializing in air navigation later in his military career.
- On September 30, 1985, he was sent to the Russian Star City Astronaut Training Center.
- He flew to space as a “Research Cosmonaut” aboard the Soyuz TM-3 spacecraft on July 22, 1987, as part of the first crew visit to the Russian “Mir” space station, becoming the second Arab astronaut after the Saudi astronaut Sultan bin Salman, and the first Syrian astronaut to make history.
- During the mission, he conducted numerous research experiments alongside Soviet astronauts in the fields of medicine and material processing, including:
1- Studying human blood movement and its reaction to space conditions.
2- Heart monitoring experiment using a specialized device to record and measure changes.
3- Experiment on the effects of space on astronauts.
4- Experiment mixing the metals gallium and antimony.
5- Experiment mixing the metals aluminum and iron.
6- Experiment on electronic conductors used in the electronic industry.
7- Studying the geological layers of Earth in Syria from an altitude of 300 km.
8- Studying water basins in Syria from outer space.
9- Soil types study experiment.
10- Experiment in assembling industrial metals for industrial use.
11- Photographing Syria from outer space using special cameras (mfk-6m camera, and kate-140 camera). - He returned to Earth aboard the Soyuz TM-2 spacecraft on July 30, 1987, after spending a total of seven days, 23 hours, and five minutes in space.
- He continued as an officer in the Syrian Air Force, settled in Aleppo, and was awarded the title of Hero by the Soviet Union for his accomplishments as an astronaut, along with the Lenin Medal, the highest civilian award bestowed by the Soviet Union.
- Upon his return to Syria, he requested the then President, Hafez al-Assad, to establish a national institute for space sciences to help other Syrians engage in space research, but the response was an outright refusal.
- He joined the Syrian revolution from its onset in August 2012, moving to Turkey and publicly supporting the Syrian revolution.
- Russia invited him to several conferences but he did not respond to these invitations; several European Union countries offered him asylum, which he refused, considering it would be politically exploited in ways that would not benefit Syria. He remained an advisor to the Turkish government on Syrian and military air issues.
- The late Major General suffered a severe health issue during his visit to Gaziantep to attend an event commemorating the 13th anniversary of the Syrian revolution in mid-April last year, and underwent heart surgery.
- Major General Mohammad Fares passed away after a month-long illness on the evening of Friday, April 19, 2024, in a hospital in Gaziantep, southern Turkey, at the age of 73.
- Thousands attended his funeral, and prayers were held for him at the Fatih Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, on the afternoon of Monday, April 22, 2024.
- In recognition of his honorable military and rich scientific history, his support for his people in their revolution against injustice and tyranny, and in appreciation of Syria’s great men and leaders, we, the Future Syrian Movement, present this week to the Syrian astronaut, Major General Mohammad Fares, a symbolic Syrian shield embodying our vision and national, inclusive approach.
