How to reconcile the demands of life in space with one's own habits and rituals?

If the question is valid for any astronaut, it was posed with more acuity to Sultan al-Neyadi, who will soon join the ISS for six months.

However, during the mission, the holy month of Ramadan will take place, during which Muslims generally fast from dawn until sunset, two notions that are no longer really valid in space.

"My scenario is that of a traveler, and the latter can break his fast," Sultan al-Neyadi replied at a press conference Wednesday at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"Fasting is not obligatory if, for example, one does not feel well," he continued.

“In this respect, anything that could compromise the mission, or could endanger the crew members, authorizes eating in sufficient quantity.

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With two Americans and a Russian

At 41, Sultan al-Neyadi will become the first astronaut from an Arab country to spend six months in space when he flies to the ISS on February 26 aboard a SpaceX spacecraft.

During this mission, he will be alongside the Americans Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg as well as the Russian Andreï Fediaïev who were questioned about the consequences of the tensions on Earth, in particular those in Ukraine, on their journey in space.

"I've been working and training with cosmonauts for over 20 years, and it's always been amazing," said NASA's Stephen Bowen.

"Once in space, there is only one crew, one vehicle and we all have the same goal," he added.

Last area of ​​cooperation with Russia

Andrei Fediaev for his part underlined the “very long history” of space cooperation between Russia and the United States.

"People's life in space, on the International Space Station, is really a very good example of how people should live on Earth," said the Russian cosmonaut.



The ISS is one of the few areas (do you have it?) of cooperation remaining between Moscow and Washington since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, launched on February 24, and the Western sanctions that followed.

NASA officials said they are considering a five-day transfer between the new crew and the four members of the previous crew, dubbed Dragon Crew-5, who have been on the ISS since October.

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