Emirates astronaut Sultan Al-Niadi made history locally by talking to Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid on a video call four days after arriving at the International Space Station.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid arrived at his space station where the Emirati astronaut spoke to him via video call which was also broadcast live on NASA TV via video linkup. UAE’s second astronaut Sultan Al-Niadi is currently on the International Space Station for the longest Arab space mission. He will spend the next six months in space with his three colleagues, which will be the longest space mission in the Arab world.
The astronauts will take part in a number of experiments, including how specific materials burn in microgravity, monitoring the functions of the heart, brain and cartilage, and collecting biological samples from outside the space station.
During the video call, The Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed congratulated Sultan Al-Niadi on his safe arrival on the International Space Station and said, “We are grateful that you have reached the International Space Station safely, I want to tell you that the youth of the United Arab Emirates and the Arab world are taking you as an example and wishing you all the best.
“We have a large number of scientific experiments in which the UNITED Arab Emirates will also participate. “One day people will go to the Moon and Mars, we have to understand the effects of microgravity on our body, this is one of the experiments that we do on a daily basis, we have to monitor the effects of space on the body so that we can avoid it in the future.”
“Sultan al-Niyadi, the first Arab astronaut on a six-month-long mission to the International Space Station, is opening new doors of the future for young people, the Sultan represents our bright future,” the Ruler of Dubai said. ‘
Sultan al-Niyadi, 41, will take part in more than 200 experiments that will prepare for the possibilities of life beyond Earth’s orbit as well as benefit terrestrial life.
The Space Centre has also uploaded images of astronauts on the space station on its twitter handle.
