UAE believes in making history, and after HH Sheikh Mohammed launched Rashid 2 Moon Rover, Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi is all set to make history by becoming the first ARAB astronaut to attempt a spacewalk on Friday, April 28th. He will venture outside the International Space Station with one of his NASA team members Stephen Bowen, on a six-and-a-half-hour maintenance exercise. It will make Dr Al Neyadi the first Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk. Read on to know more.
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Dr Sultan Al Neyadi goes by the name astro_alneyadi on Instagram and keeps sharing space updates with the world timely. He shared a video on his social media platform on Wednesday, April 26th, and the video explained the preparations from the pressure equator unit on the International Space Station. Speaking about the spacewalkers, NASA said that both the astronauts had spent Tuesday configuring their spacesuits, the tools they would use and inspecting everything.
Other two NASA astronauts, Woody Hoburg and Frank Rubio, will assist the pair in getting into and out of their spacesuits and monitor their spacewalk.
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During their spacewalk attempt, the duo will carry out several tasks, the major one being to retrieve foot restraints from different parts of the space station’s exterior. They will also prepare a part of the ISS for a future solar array that will be installed during a spacewalk later this year. Besides this, Dr Al Neyadi will retrieve a radio frequency unit, which later will be sent back to Earth for repairs. Meanwhile, Mr Bowen will be helping in removing the hardware and helping Al Neyadi with other tasks.
Al Neyadi Has Acquired A Training Of 55 Hours At NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, Texas
Speaking about the spacewalk, given the high risk, only select astronauts, who are qualified get the chance to perform the critical task. And Al Neyadi has trained for more than 55 hours at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, in preparation for spacewalks. While at the NBL, AlNeyadi underwent nine runs of six hours each, training underwater simulating spacewalks utilising the full mock-up of the ISS. Showing a glimpse of his preparation for the world, Al Neyadi also shared a post on Instagram.
AlNeyadi recently completed one month in space after launching from Cape Canaveral in Florida with his Crew-6 team members on 2nd March at 09:34 UAE time. And speaking about his achievements and spacewalk, Hamad Obaid AlMansoori, Chairman of MBRSC, said, “Sultan AlNeyadi’s historic spacewalk is a testament to the UAE’s unwavering dedication to advancing the frontiers of space exploration and fostering international cooperation. As the first Arab astronaut set to perform an EVA, AlNeyadi carries the aspirations of the entire region and symbolises the limitless possibilities of our collective achievements.”
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