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Emirati astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi became the first Arab to perform a spacewalk when he stepped out of the International Space Station (ISS) and completed a spacewalk during Expedition 69.
The historic spacewalk, which lasted 7.01 hours in the vacuum of space on the starboard side of the ISS truss structure, accomplished two key goals.
One of the goals of the extravehicular activity (EVA), undertaken by Al-Neyadi and NASA flight engineer Stephen Bowen, was to conduct a series of preparatory tasks, including the successful completion of cable routing.
The completion of these cable works is a prelude to the installation of the space station’s fourth deployed solar array, called the International Space Station Expanded Solar Array (iROSA), which is scheduled to be delivered on the upcoming SpaceX Dragon cargo mission. The next goal is Retrieve a critical Radio Frequency Group (RFG) unit.
The communications antenna, or RFG, will be temporarily affixed to the space station as it is difficult to remove. Before embarking on the spacewalk, Al-Neyadi and Bowen underwent a two-hour oxygen purge to rid their bodies of nitrogen.
Warren Hoiberg and Frank Rubio then assisted the astronauts in their spacesuits—a major operation in itself. Al-Neyadi and Bowen spent another hour donning their spacesuits and safety gear before entering the airlock and gradually reducing the pressure to a safe level to open the outer hatch.
Before a spacewalk, a thorough set of checks are performed to ensure the safety of the astronauts. During their high-altitude walk outside the International Space Station, Al-Neyadi and Bowen had to contend with two major challenges: radiation and extreme temperatures.
The surrounding environment in space can reach scorching temperatures of up to 120 degrees Celsius in sunlight, and drop to -150 degrees Celsius when the sun is not visible.
While spacesuits are suited to handle all of this, careful management of spacesuits during missions is also a task at hand.
Hamad Obaid Al-Mansoori, Chairman of MBRSC, said: “UAE Mission 2 is a truly inspiring endeavor that embodies the UAE’s spirit of excellence and determination to achieve greatness in all our pursuits.” From the start of the space mission, to the historic appointment of the first Arab Incremental leader in the International Space Station expedition, and now to the breakthrough achievement of the first Arab spacewalk by Sultan Al Neiyadi, the mission has established A new standard of excellence in space exploration.” Salem Humaid Al-Marri, Director General of MBRSC said: “Sultan Al-Neyadi’s spacewalk generated unprecedented excitement and interest among the public, underscoring the enormous significance of this mission.” “Although Sudan is conducting groundbreaking scientific experiments aboard the International Space Station, but the addition of the spacewalk demonstrates another dimension of the UAE’s exceptional expertise in space exploration. This milestone achievement will play a key role in restoring the ISS to full operational capability role in strengthening the UAE’s position as a major contributor to the global space community,” Al-Marri said.
On March 2, Al-Neyadi and his Crew-6 team members launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and will soon complete their two-month journey into space. Al-Neyadi conducted several experiments during his second month on the space station.
The UAE Astronaut Program is one of the projects managed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center under the UAE National Space Program and is funded by the ICT Fund of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority to support research and development in the ICT sector in the UAE and promote the country’s Integration on the global stage.
(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and was automatically generated from a syndicate feed.)
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