Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center has announced that the remaining time of the flight of Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati astronaut to the International Space Station, is 30 days, as it will start the flight from the «Baikonur» space in Kazakhstan, at 5:56 pm UAE time, arrival It will be in the middle of the night, and the opening of the spacecraft's gate to the International Space Station will be two hours after the docking to ensure adequate safety procedures. Mansouri is the first Arab to participate in practical research in space, where he will carry out 16 scientific experiments, including six on board .
The Center pointed out that the preparations for this mission began on the third of September 2018, through several exercises for both Hazza Al-Mansouri and Sultan Al-Neyadi in preparation for the mission, which is just around the corner.
This came during a press conference, organized by the Center yesterday, in Dubai, where he revealed the stages of preparation of the astronaut Mansouri, before and after the flight, and the tasks that will be carried on board the station, and what it will carry with him.
The Director General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, Yousef Hamad Al Shaibani, said that "scientific experiments and research will contribute significantly to enrich human knowledge and come up with a database that can be shared with various local and international bodies, which in turn will open new horizons in the global scientific community." "The launch of Hazza Al Mansouri into space next month is the culmination of a dedicated effort by dedicated individuals and local and federal government agencies, and the fruit of important strategic partnerships with major global space agencies."
Al Shaibani announced the conclusion of partnerships and cooperation agreements with local and federal institutions and institutions, from various fields, to be part of the event, including a partnership with Mohammed bin Rashid University for Medicine and Health Sciences. On the mission of launching the first Emirati astronaut, the Center also collaborates with the Emirates Foundation, which supports and inspires the younger generation to develop their abilities, and collaborates with the Emirates Wireless Association to communicate with Hazza through wireless radio.
Astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri will conduct 16 scientific experiments in cooperation with international space agencies, including the Russian Roskosmos and the European Space Agency "ESA", including six experiments on the International Space Station to study the interaction of human body biomarkers in space compared to experiments conducted on the surface of the Earth, Study of bone condition indicators, disorders of motor activity, perception and time perception of the astronaut, as well as the dynamics of fluids in space, and the impact of living in space on humans.
The scientific mission includes experiments related to schools in the UAE within the space science initiative launched by the Center, and participated in conducting on the ground about 16 schools in the presence of the UAE astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri in the first phase, and these experiments will contribute to the supply of Emirati curriculum with new scientific materials The first manned mission of the UAE to space.
"With the arrival of Hazza Al Mansouri in September at the International Station, the UAE will become the 19th country to contribute to scientific research through data," said Salem Al Marri, Assistant Director-General for Scientific and Technical Affairs at the Center and Director of the Emirates Astronaut Program. Hazza Mansouri is linked to the human body and life, especially as he will be the first astronaut from the Arab region to participate in this research.
Al-Marri added that the Arabs will return to space after 32 years with the participation of UAE astronaut Hazza Al-Mansouri, the first Arab astronaut to arrive at the International Space Station. The body of a person from the Arab region who took part in the trip to the station will be exposed.
He pointed out that the astronaut undergoes 16 scientific experiments, whether biological, physical or chemical, to observe the impact of space in several aspects, including motor activity, bone condition, heart condition, and others.
In response to a question by Emirates Today about the role of astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi after the launch of Hazza Al Mansouri's flight, Al Marri said that Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center will benefit from the experience gained by Al Neyadi during his training as an alternative astronaut. As an astronaut after the flight, he added that if the state targets another astronaut to the earth station, Neyadi is open to the experiment again.
He pointed out that the Emirates Astronaut Program, which is supervised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, is the first integrated program in the Arab region to prepare national cadres participating in space missions, and to carry out various scientific tasks that help to improve the lives of humans on Earth. Today we rise to space to improve our lives on Earth. "