Ahmed Farid
Ahmed Farid (born February 14, 1980), is an astronaut-scientist candidate at the PoSSUM (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere) program supported by NASA in Florida, United States. Farid's main work is in Space Operations Mission control center. He was hired by the international space company Telespazio VEGA, Germany, and he's located at the German Space Operation Center (DLR), Munich, Germany. Farid is also the Co-Chairman of the African Regional Group at the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), which welcomes the establishment of IAF Regional Groups aimed at improving the exchange of information on space  activities and facilitating the development of regional cooperation in space venture and space applications He works in space operations, human spaceflight, and satellite operations. Farid also served with the International Space Station (ISS) as a Columbus System controller on the European ground segment and as a spacecraft commander/controller for spacecraft in Germany and Europe, German Space Operations Center (GSOC) in Munich, and he was a part of a team responsible for communications between the astronauts and the ground crew of scientists and engineers supervising all the European activities on the International Space Station (ISS). Early life and career. Ahmed  was born to Nasr Farid (a Doctor of medicine surgeon) and Kamelia Hosny (BA of Arts) in Cairo, Egypt. Ever since he was young, he had shown interest in computers and technology, which years later would make him a candidate to become an astronaut. In 2002, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Management Technology from Modern Academy for Computer Science and Management Technology, Cairo, Egypt, a partner university of the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C., USA. After that, Farid went on straight ahead to do his postgraduate studies in the American University in Cairo , completing his diploma in Management Technology in 2004. Afterwards, Farid was one of 350 people out of 4500 to receive a scholarship from IBM LTD, Egypt, in Computer Networking and communication. Soon after, he launched a career in the IT and telecommunications field. Later, Farid and two others out of the 350 scholarship graduates were selected to work directly for IBM where he started his first official career step. Farid's path took him on to work for a Microsoft Certified Partner in Germany, and while living there he was headhunted online by the space company for space Operations. He  started with the European space operations in the International Space Station at the European module Columbus.