Emirati astronaut AlNeyadi begins historic six-month mission to ISS – News

The handover event between Crew 6 and Crew 5 will take place over the next five days

Emirati astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi addressed everyone on Earth in Arabic, expressing his gratitude after being welcomed aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Later in microgravity, AlNeyadi expressed his gratitude in English to his family, UAE leaders, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) and the entire UAE family gathered together. He added, “The UAE, in collaboration with international partners, is helping to advance science for the benefit of humanity… Go Dragon, Go Space X!”

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavor docked at the space station’s Harmony module at 10.40am UAE time on Friday.

At the rendezvous point, the orbital speed of both the shuttle and the ISS is 28,000 km/h (about 17,500 mph). However, their relative translation velocity is zero. As the docking process begins, the shuttle uses its thrusters to approach the ISS.

Where there is a collision, energy transfer occurs because the space shuttle and ISS are effectively an isolated system, and due to conservation of energy, the energy of the impact must remain within the system.

For this reason, the Orbital Docking System (ODS) is constructed to dampen the energy of a collision and perfectly align the docking rings of the two cars. This ensures an ideal seal between the shuttle and the ISS.

Docking was slightly delayed today as the mission team finished troubleshooting a faulty docking hook sensor on Dragon.

The ground team verified that all docking hooks were configured correctly and developed a software override for the faulty sensor, allowing the docking process to continue successfully.

Eventually, an hour and a half of leak checks took place before the hatches of the ISS and Crew Dragon opened to allow Crew-6 members to enter the ISS.

Inside the International Space Station, Expedition 68 flight engineer and astronaut Josh Cassada is monitoring the approach of the Dragon spacecraft.

Finally, welcoming the sixth crew member were the seven members of the Expedition 68. These included four members of Crew-5 and three who were aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-22.

The first to “float” to the International Space Station was NASA Mission Commander Stephen Bowen, followed by NASA pilot Warren Hoberg, and then Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neiyadi, Roscosmos cosmonaut Andr Lefedyayev.

Kathyrn Lueders, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate in Washington, said in his address to the crew of 6 (after they were welcomed), “For crew 6, A little bit of anticipation, they’ll let you go a little longer before you get to the station, but as always it’s nice to see you all make it to the hatch safely and enjoy with the space station crew.

“The next six months will be filled with very critical events. One of the first key events will be the return of the Crew 5 crew to Earth. We look forward to all the great science and hope to have a few EVAs with you during this time, More people vehicles will come. We are so proud of you.”

Meanwhile, Al Neyadi also showed off Crew 6 mascot “Suhail” from space. This character was created by MBRSC to inspire interest in STEM among teens and children.

Addressing the newly arrived flight engineers, MBRSC Chairman Hamad Obaid AlMansoori said: “Congratulations to Sultan and others, as well as little astronaut Suhail, on the successful arrival to the International Space Station. Your space mission is a huge milestone for SpaceX, NASA and the UAE.” Crew 6 You have become part of our UAE community.”

After the safety briefing and introductions for the newly arrived crew, the 11-member crew went into extended sleep throughout the day on Friday to catch their breath after a busy week.

The handover event between Crew 6 and Crew 5 will take place over the next five days to ensure Crew 6 can begin its increment in earnest.

During the six-month mission, Sultan AlNeyadi will collaborate with NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the National Center for Space Studies (CNES) Collaborate on scientific research on 19 broad topics. These topics will include cardiovascular and immune system health, back pain, technology demonstrations, epigenetics, fluid science, plant biology, materials science, sleep analysis and radiation.

In addition to scientific research, the mission will incorporate educational outreach efforts designed to inspire and engage the next generation of scientists and explorers. MBRSC is currently funding two research projects at the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), both of which will be included in the Crew-6 mission.

The first project will assess how the microgravity environment of spaceflight affects heart-posture interactions, while the second project will study dental/mouth cells in a simulated microgravity environment on Earth. These programs will engage students and researchers, fostering the development and credentialing of future generations of scientists.