Photo: Instagram.com/astro_alneyadi
From practicing yoga on the International Space Station to posting endearing photos with Suhail (Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre’s adorable blue mascot), Sultan Al Neyadi has kept the region engaged throughout his historic mission. Now with his six-month stay at the ISS coming to an end soon, the Emirati astronaut is preparing to come home.
Since arriving on the station on March 3, the pioneer has not only carried out the Arab world’s longest space mission, but also became the first Arab to perform a spacewalk. While spending approximately seven hours floating in outer space, Al Neyadi earned the UAE the honor of being the 10th country to execute a spacewalk. His time upon the ISS has also included a myriad of experiments assigned by NASA, his colleagues and even UAE universities to understand the effects of microgravity on the human heart in order to develop a therapy for heart disease.
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As such, the mission has been of paramount importance to say the least. Not to mention that his candor about life in space through live calls and regular posts on social media is bound to inspire a new generation of astronauts in the region. Al Neyadi stands as a testimony to the UAE’s continued dedication towards space exploration and developing the National Space Programme. When he first blasted of into space, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan tweeted to mark the occasion, “His inspiring achievement is a source of great pride to the UAE and another milestone in the journey of our nation and the ambitions of our people.”
With the astronaut returning home towards the end of this month, the exact date is to be decided, a hero’s welcome is surely to be expected. But we’d be lying if we said we won’t miss his regular updates from space.
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