Emirates Mission 2: Everything you need to know about Sultan Al Neyadi’s historic space adventure

DUBAI: Five years of astronomical work has been completed and the first Arab will spend six months in space in just a few days.

However, when the UAE’s second astronaut, Sultan Al Neyadi, blasts off next week from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, to the International Space Station (ISS), he will realize a decades-old dream – one region, one The country and the dream of a country. he himself.

As we approach the new target date for SpaceX Crew-6 Dragon Endeavor to lift off on a Falcon 9 rocket on Monday, February 27, here’s everything UAE residents need to know about the history of the country you call home .

The space mission has been named UAE Mission 2, so named because it is the second time the country has sent astronauts into space. In 2019, Hazzaa Al Mansoori, the first Emirati astronaut, spent eight days on the International Space Station on his first mission.

The UAE has always been proud of its founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was hungry for scientific knowledge and the vision and dream of sending his country into space. Keeping this legacy in mind, the slogan for the country’s first astronaut mission is “Zayed’s Ambition”.

The second mission has a logo depicting an astronaut wearing a spacesuit and looking at a painting of Sheikh Zayed.

Upon completion of the mission, the UAE will rank 11th in the world among countries that have successfully completed long-duration missions to the International Space Station. It will also become the first Arab country to reach the milestone. The UAE is also the first non-ISS partner nation to participate in long-duration ISS missions.

Al Neyadi, 42 years old, full name Sultan Saif Hamad Al Neyadi, is an IT engineer from Al Ain. He has worked as a cyber security engineer in the UAE Armed Forces. He is a PhD holder in Information Technology (Data Leakage Prevention) and author of six research papers.

Although Al Neyadi found himself drawn to engineering and served in the military for 20 years, he never gave up on his childhood dream. Becoming a pilot and astronaut was his dream, although in his youth he never thought his dream would come true.

His space dreams took wing when Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) invited the UAE to apply for the UAE Astronaut Program in 2018.

He was selected as one of the first Emirati astronauts along with Hazzaa Al Mansoori. Al Neyadi was later selected as Al Mansoori’s backup in the first mission.

July 2022, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Announcing the selection of Neyadi for the first long-duration Arab astronaut mission.

The word Najmonaut is used to refer to the Arab astronauts. Najm means star in Arabic, and the UAE’s star astronaut is now known as najmonaut and is popularly known as the “Sultan of space”.

Since 2018, he has undergone various trainings at astronaut and cosmonaut training facilities of NASA and other agencies in other countries. In 2021, he will be officially certified to serve as an operator on the International Space Station.

Al Neyadi completed long-distance mission training at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL). Al Mansoori was his substitute this time around.

Al Neyadi may also be the first “najmonaut” to perform the first spacewalk. His training included spacewalks, robotics and science experiments.

The father-of-five is currently in pre-flight quarantine at Kennedy Space Center, while his family watched him lift off in Florida.

It’s a four-crew mission to the International Space Station in a Crew Dragon spacecraft provided by Elon Musk’s spacecraft maker SpaceX. The spacecraft or capsule was named Endeavour. It will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Crew-6 is a joint mission of Nasa and SpaceX. The flight was NASA’s sixth crew rotation mission to the space station with SpaceX and the seventh crewed flight of Dragon as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. This is the ninth overall manned orbital flight.

Crew-6 will stay on the space station for up to six months before returning to Earth.

The Crew-6 launch will carry two NASA astronauts from the United States, mission commander Stephen Bowen and pilot Warren “Woody” Hohberger, as well as Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neiyadi and Russian cosmonaut Andr Lefedyaev, who will serve as Expedition Mission Specialist 69, the 69th long-distance expedition to the International Space Station.

The space station has not been without astronauts on board since 2000. Members of Crew-6 will conduct Expedition 68 with the seven astronauts currently on the International Space Station. Some of them will return to Earth after Crew-6 arrives.

In the design chosen for the Crew-6 logo, the names of all four crew members are written in their native languages. The Arabic name of Al Neyadi makes the logo special in the Arabian region. NASA explains the design of the logo as follows.

This ship across the Crew-6 patch represents both our destination, the International Space Station, and the ship of countless explorers sailing into the unknown. The station anchors us at the dawn of missions to the Moon and Mars. The sail is a symbol of the class of astronauts in 2012, and its relative radius matches that of the Earth, Moon and Mars. The Draco constellation stands for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and is named after the thrusters that fly our Dragon spacecraft. As we also look back on Earth, the dragon puppet on board looks to the future, thanking all those who support our mission for their tireless efforts.

Al Neyadi is the mission specialist and primary crew member for SpaceX Crew-6. Once aboard the International Space Station, he will be a flight engineer. He will spend six months in the orbiting laboratory, during which time he will conduct nearly 20 experiments.

The science projects the team will work on span a wide range of disciplines – from life and physical sciences to advanced materials, technology development, space production applications, and even student-led research.

“The results of these studies will add value to humanity, further advance our exploration capabilities and create a robust market in low Earth orbit,” said the ISS National Laboratory, which will sponsor dozens of such investigations .

The MBRSC has released the ten themes covered by the science experiments that will be part of the first Arab long-duration space mission.

Experimental areas include: cardiovascular system, epigenetics, plant biology, radiation, back pain, immune system, materials science, sleep analysis, fluid science, and technology demonstrations.

Adnan Al Rais, mission manager for UAE Astronaut Mission 2, said the UAE scientific community, including researchers and students, will be involved in the mission through education and outreach programmes.

MBRSC and the Emirates Literature Foundation also have a joint venture through which Al Neyadi will engage with students from space. Salem Humaid Al Marri, director general of MBRSC, said this will be done through live or recorded sessions, which will be streamed on the website.

As of press time, the new SpaceX Falcon 9 and Crew-6 target date is Monday, February 27. It will be held at Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. LC-39 A is the first of three launch pads at Launch Complex 39.

Live coverage of the launch will begin at 7am UAE time, while liftoff is expected to take place here at 10.45am. MBRSC and Nasa will broadcast live. MBRSC will be conducting special screenings.

Weather officials are predicting a 95 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for Monday’s launch, with cumulus rules the main weather concern.

Should there be any further delays, backup release dates as of now are February 28, March 2, 3, and 4.

According to NASA, the direct benefits of space exploration include the generation of scientific knowledge, the diffusion of innovations and the creation of markets, the inspiration of people around the world, and agreements among nations engaged in exploration.

GPS, accurate weather forecasts, solar cells, UV filters in sunglasses and cameras, and many other things that make our lives smooth and safe would not exist without the space program. Medical research in space may be able to treat disease and extend human life. Many of these experiments cannot be performed on Earth.

From being the first and fifth Arab country to reach Mars, to the first to build and launch a lunar rover, the UAE has made incredible strides in space.Nationwide

The astronaut program once again demonstrated the boundless ambition of its leadership to contribute to the field.