Sultan Al Neyadi. The first Emirati. The first Arab. The first Muslim. Walks in outer space
Mohammed bin Zayed and Mohammed bin Rashid: a historic week for the UAE. Arabs are coming, capable and creative
Al Neyadi accomplished the task after 3 years of intensive training. From the source
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President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the UAE, in cooperation with its partners, will continue to enhance its scientific contributions in the field of space. His Highness said in a post published yesterday on «Twitter»: «A historic week for the UAE space sector, during which the (Hope Probe) presented the clearest image of the Martian moon (Deimos), and witnessed the arrival of Arabs to the closest point from the surface of the moon with the explorer Rashid, and Sultan Al Neyadi fought the first Arab mission to walk in space. The UAE, in cooperation with its partners, will continue to enhance its scientific contributions in the field of space."
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, expressed his pride in what Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has achieved, as the first Emirati, the first Arab and the first Muslim to walk outside the International Space Station, stressing that Arabs are capable, if they decide to focus on science and invest in young people, and stay away from differences.
His Highness said in a post published yesterday on «Twitter»: «After three years of intensive training ... Today we saw Sultan Al-Neyadi on the first mission to walk in outer space. And carry out missions to install new parts and carry out maintenance on the International Space Station. The first Emirati. The first Arab. The first Muslim. Walking in outer space. We are proud of that."
"They say that two-thirds of the stars in the sky have Arabic names. Arabs are capable. The Arabs are coming. Arabs are creative if we decide to focus on science. And investing in youth. and stay away from differences."
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, also stressed the importance of the UAE's historic achievement, noting the UAE's son Sultan Al Neyadi, who successfully undertook the first Arab spacewalk.
His Highness said in a post published yesterday on «Twitter»: «a new historical station we reach in our project for space exploration, today and with the ambition of Zayed, the son of the UAE, Sultan Al Neyadi, successfully undertakes the first Arab mission to walk in space, crowning efforts and training that lasted for years».
His Highness added: "We congratulate our wise leadership, our people and all the people of the Arab world for this achievement. Safety and success for Sultan and pride for us and for the Arabs."
The director general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, Salem Al-Marri, said that Sultan Al-Neyadi is the first Arab astronaut to carry out the mission "Walk outside the International Space Station."
Astronauts get out of their vehicles for a variety of reasons, including repairing satellites or spacecraft.
They can also conduct scientific experiments on spacewalks and on the outside of a spacecraft, allowing scientists to see how being in space affects various objects.
Spacewalks mean any activity performed by a human outside the spacecraft on various flights, including exiting the International Space Station. This process is called "spacewalking," as defined by NASA.
Astronauts need prior training before walking outside their vehicles, including physical training and swimming, where staying in outer space is similar to floating on water.
Al-Marri said that the preparation for this mission took more than five years, while Sultan's training took three years, explaining that «the training that Al-Neyadi underwent in preparation for the spacewalk mission included the method of wearing the astronauts' suit, and the method of performing experiments».
The astronauts train at a large swimming pool near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
A pool is called a "neutral buoyancy laboratory," and "neutral buoyancy" means that a person is not at the top or bottom of the pool, making it appear to be in outer space.
The pool contains 6.2 million gallons of water, with astronauts training seven hours in the pool for every hour spent spacewalks, according to NASA.
They also practice walking outside using virtual reality technology through a "video game" in which the trainee wears a helmet with a video screen inside.
Al-Marri said the scheduled time of the mission is six and a half hours, and the aim is to carry out maintenance operations for the International Space Station.
Astronauts leave the spacecraft through a special door called the airlock chamber, which has two doors, so when the astronauts are inside the spacecraft, the chamber remains airtight to prevent air from escaping.
When astronauts prepare to walk in space, they pass through the first door and close it tightly behind them, and they can then open the second door without any air coming out of the spacecraft, and after the spacewalk, the astronauts return inside through the same airlock.
Al-Neyadi and fellow astronaut Stephen Bowen will focus on two things: the first is to prepare for the installation of solar panels, and other astronauts will come in June and July to install them, he said. The second command is to dismantle a device outside the station, transport it inside it in preparation for lowering it to the ground for maintenance work, and then return it to the station and install it again.
Regarding the preparations carried out for astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi at NASA, Al Marri said that "there are four Emirati astronauts who have undergone training within these preparations: Sultan Al Neyadi, Hazza Al Mansouri, Mohammed Al Mulla, and Noura Al Matrooshi, adding that Mohammed and Noura are still in the first phase of training currently."
Al-Marri added that «the exercises are in the largest swimming pool in the world that includes a model of the International Space Station, and astronauts wear the suit and then enter the basin with about 10 divers to train on the missions they will carry out on the International Space Station», pointing out that «the number of training hours each time ranges between six and eight hours, and Sultan Al Neyadi has fought more than 14 times».
Regarding the two-month period spent by Sultan (equivalent to a third of the duration of his mission) aboard the International Space Station, Al-Marri said that «what Al-Neyadi carried out during this period exceeded expectations, as he completed a list of missions and experiments, including experiments from UAE universities, NASA and various space agencies, in addition to his participation in equipping and maintaining the International Space Station».
Yesterday, Sultan Al Neyadi carried out a historic spacewalk mission outside the International Space Station, becoming the first Arab astronaut to walk in space within the missions of the 69th mission on board the station, in a new achievement that will make the UAE tenth in the world in spacewalk missions outside the International Space Station.
The spacewalk, the fourth of the year outside the International Space Station, was significant, with astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, along with NASA's astronaut Stephen Bowen, performing a number of key missions.
Their time outside the station lasted approximately 6.5 hours, during which they carried out maintenance and modernization of the ISS, the primary purpose of which was to change the RFG module for radio frequencies, part of the ISS's S-Band communications system, in preparation for its return to Earth.
Al Neyadi and the team have also completed a series of preparatory tasks for the installation of solar panels, which will be installed during a later mission in June, and these preparations will facilitate astronauts to work during the next mission, and the solar panels play a pivotal role in the operation of the International Space Station, and provide clean and renewable energy to support the daily experiences, systems and operations on board.
When astronauts walk in space, they wear spacesuits to keep themselves safe, as they have the oxygen they need to breathe and survive, and they have the water they need to drink.
Astronauts wear their special spacesuit hours before spacewalks, breathing only pure oxygen, which enables them to expel nitrogen in their bodies so they don't feel pain in their shoulders, elbows, wrists and knees.
The International Space Station, an international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries, was launched in 1998 and transformed into a complex roughly the size of a football field, with eight miles of electrical wires, two acres of solar panels and three high-tech laboratories.
The station consists of 16 habitable units, of which six were provided by Russia, eight by the United States, and the rest by Japan and the European Space Agency.
Hamdan bin Mohammed:
• "A new historical station we reach in our space exploration project."
• "The son of the UAE, Sultan Al Neyadi, successfully conducts the first Arab spacewalk mission."