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He has already made history as the first Arab astronaut to fly on a long-duration space mission.Today he will take a giant step for the Arab world as the first astronaut to embark on a historic spacewalk
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As a child, Sultan Alneyadi loved looking up at the sky to see the stars, which ignited his passion for going to space. Now, he is making history by becoming the first Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk, every moment of which will be witnessed by his children and family.
AlNeyadi’s family is very proud of his historic spacewalk today (April 28), Adnan AlRais, mission manager for the UAE Astronaut Program, told Khaleej Times in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
“We’ve had very positive feedback from the family,” AlRais noted, adding: “They’re following his activities and are very aware of what he’s doing.”
“The Sultan himself is very excited. We are in regular contact with him. We have our own means of communication and during our regular meetings we learn about his plans and future activities,” continued AlRais, noting that AlNeyadi is a father of six , he has been in constant communication with his family.
family first
It’s a pleasure to think back to Al Neyadi’s family, including his father, children, cousins and friends, in early March as he flew into space. AlNeyadi even shared a touching photo of himself and his son before taking off. “Today, we fly to pave the way for the next generation,” he wrote in the caption.
Meanwhile, his father, Saif Al Neyadi, shared video clips of the sultan punching his children before jumping into a Tesla car to take him to the launch pad. Saif also expressed how proud he is of his son. “I am really proud of the Sultan, not because he is my son, but because he is the son of the UAE,” he said.
AlNeyadi has always had a deep connection to his family and his country. On April 12, he shared a striking photo of his hometown, taken from the orbiting International Space Station (ISS), 400km from Earth – his six-month stay in space .
AlNeyadi greeted everyone in Al Ain (followed by a purple heart emoji) and said: “My cherished memories of Umm Jafah – its charming streets and warm-hearted people are etched in my memory forever.”
first the arab world
AlNeyadi has come a long way indeed – he was born on May 23, 1981 in the dunes of the Umm Jafa Desert, 30 kilometers southeast of Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, becoming the “Sultan of Space”.
He has already made history as the first Arab astronaut to fly on a long-duration space mission. Today, he will take a giant step for the Arab world as the first astronaut to embark on a historic spacewalk.
AlNeyadi will be accompanied by veteran NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen. They will spend about 6 hours and 30 minutes on an extravehicular activity (EVA), or spacewalk, which will expose them to various challenges in the vacuum of space – where temperatures can range from as low as minus 121 degrees Celsius to as high as 121 degrees Celsius in sunlight , almost three times the peak summer season in the UAE.
But it will be an exhilarating and unique experience that only the well-trained and prepared few will witness in their lifetime. As Hazzaa AlMansoori, the first Emirati astronaut, said, it is from this vantage point that spacewalking astronauts like AlNeyadi and Bowen will see the Earth and the rest of the solar system, with only the visor of their helmets separating them from the vastness of space. Open who goes to space in 2019.
As the International Space Station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, AlNeyadi will also experience sunrise and sunset every 45 minutes from his floating space lab.
keep shining
Al Neyadi once watched the Milky Way and the stars from that remote part of Al Ain. And, as he said in a previous interview, that was the spark that started it all — “thinking about traveling to space and other planets.”
His family will be watching his spacewalk closely today, and the spark that ignited his space dreams will surely continue to shine among his children and the youth of the UAE.
Reporter @khaleejtimes.com
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