For 11 minutes Thursday morning, Eiman Jahangir plans to be living his dream.

What's happening: Jahangir, a Vanderbilt University Medical Center cardiologist, is scheduled to vault into space on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket at 8am Central on Thursday, weather permitting.

• You can follow along with the launch in west Texas on a livestream.

Why it matters: The 11-minute space flight will be brief. But it will be the realization of a lifelong dream for Jahangir, who has twice been on the shortlist to become a NASA astronaut. He won a contest to join Thursday's journey.

• He'll be using the opportunity for scientific discovery: He got approval to bring equipment to measure his heart rate and other data.
• The flight will also support research on genetic mutations and the effects of space travel on the immune system.

What he's saying: "I see the Blue Origin flight as an opportunity to do something amazing," Jahangir told The Tennessean ahead of the trip.

• "There are still only about 700 people who've gone into space," he said. "And it'll give me real world understanding of what this feels like."

Between the lines: Jahangir grew up in Nashville and graduated from Martin Luther King Jr. High School. His brother Alex Jahangir is also a Vanderbilt doctor and oversaw Nashville's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Eiman Jahangir recalled the family taking regular trips to NASA's U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Zoom in: Jeff Bezos-founded Blue Origin is a private space company that has brought a select few paying customers into space.

• The organization MoonDAO, which aims to expand access to space, picked Jahangir for a crowd-funded spot on the flight after a worldwide contest.
• The organization says it received more than 2,200 entries.

What's next: Jahangir will be back to work soon after his mission.

• "I think I'll be coming back and going right back to clinic," he said in a VUMC statement.
• "So, it'll be interesting as to how this might change my perspective in medicine and how I can use this experience to improve."

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