Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud

Short Biography

Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: سلطان بن سلمان بن عبد العزيز آل سعود‎‎‎) (born 27 June 1956) is a former Royal Saudi Air Force pilot who flew aboard the American STS-51-G Space Shuttle mission as a payload specialist, and a member of the House of Saud. He is thus the first member of a royal family to be an astronaut, and the first Arab and Muslim to fly in outer space.Early life and educationSultan was born in Riyadh on 27 June 1956. He is the second son of King Salman. His older brother Fahad was born 20 July 1955 and died in 2000. His mother is Sultana bint Turki Al Sudairi who died in July 2011. She was a daughter of King Salman's uncle, Turki bin Ahmad Al Sudairi, who was one of the former governors of al-Jouf, Jizan and Asir Province and was a participant in the unification campaign under His cousin, the founder of the Kingdom Abdulaziz ibn Saud. and Prince Sultan is a full brother of Fahd, Ahmed, Abdulaziz, Faisal and Hussa (born 1974).Sultan completed his elementary and secondary education in Riyadh. He received a master's degree in social and political science with distinction from Syracuse University in 1999.Early experienceSultan bin Salman started his career in 1982 as a researcher in the department of international communications at the Ministry of Information in Saudi Arabia. His tenure lasted until 1984. He served as deputy director of the Saudi media committee for the Saudi athletes participating in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Later that year, the department of TV advertising was created at the Ministry of Information, and he was appointed its acting director.From 17 June through 24 June 1985, he flew as a payload specialist on STS-51-G Discovery. As one of a seven-member international crew, which also included American and French astronauts, he represented the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (ARABSAT) in deploying their satellite, ARABSAT-1B. Sultan also holds the record for being the youngest person to fly on the Space Shuttle, at the age of 28.Later, he assisted in establishing the Association of Space Explorers, an international organization comprising all astronauts and cosmonauts who have been in space, and served on its executive board of directors for several years.In 1985, Sultan recorded a commercial message that was broadcast on MTV during the Live Aid concert event. His message mentioned his recent trip on the Space Shuttle and was one of 33 such by notable individuals including Caesar Chavez, Coretta Scott King, Carl Sagan, Jesse Jackson and Peter Ueberroth. Sultan bin Salman served in the Royal Saudi Air Force beginning in 1985 and held the rank of lieutenant colonel. He retired from the air force in 1996 with the rank of colonel.PositionsSince 2009 Sultan bin Salman has served as the President and Chairman of the Board with the rank of a Minister of the Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage (SCTH). He had served as the Commission's Secretary General since its inception in 2000. It is claimed that as Secretary-General, he contributed significantly to the improvement of Saudi Arabia's tourism strategy, and organizational building in the Saudi government.