Emirati astronauts Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi's next phase of training set to be more rigorous
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00:00The training, we start from 9 a.m. and we are going down to 6 p.m.
00:08This is the whole schedule for one day.
00:12Now it is winter there in Russia, so the cold is really one of our challenges there.
00:18It's really minus 10, minus 15 these days, so it is one of the challenges to survive in that cold weather.
00:24We went through the Russian segment, the International Space Station and the Soyuz training.
00:30In front of us there is a training complex, they call it a complex training,
00:34so we train with our crew that will fly with them to space.
00:38So we finish at 6 o'clock. By the end of the day we normally have the physical training.
00:44So we finish at 6, we go to the astronaut cafeteria, we have our dinner there,
00:50then we go back, if we have an exam the next day we study and we call our families, and we sleep early normally.
00:58The day starts at the center at 9, but I wake up early at 7.30,
01:04and earlier than that I wake up for prayers as well, but I wake up fully at 7.30.
01:10This is the complex training, so they call it complex simulation.
01:14We will sit inside the Soyuz spacecraft and we will do a couple of scenarios,
01:19like going to space and handling some emergencies in case of those emergencies will happen.
01:24And also we have a lot of experiments going on with the Russian, with NASA and with ESA.
01:33As I mentioned, we have a lot of exercises that we will undergo with the crew,
01:39and this will include different scenarios from taking off, I mean launch,
01:45and docking with the station and re-entry and landing.
01:50And water survival is probably one of the big milestones as well.
01:56It's a simulation of landing in water.
01:58Other than that, we will be engaged with scientific teams from the country and outside of the country.
02:04You said it's a big milestone, why is that?
02:07It's also another step like the winter survival as you've seen before.
02:13So this is called water survival, which is a simulation in case the capsule lands in water.
02:20So we will be trained to survive in that situation.
02:24By having support from families and friends is a big thing.
02:28So when we are here and we are seeing that our nation is happy about it and proud,
02:35this gives us a big push to keep going in our training.
02:39It's a big and huge responsibility to present UAE and the Arab region in this mission.
02:46I think the support that we get from our families, from the people in the UAE,
02:53and on top of that the wise leadership,
02:57I think that is the most supportive thing that we get to carry out the procedures and other trainings.
03:07Do your kids ask you questions?
03:09Yeah, a lot of questions. What is life there? When are you going to space?
03:13Can we hide in your bags and go with you into space?
03:17Seriously?
03:18Yeah, that is one of the questions that we get.
03:21I told my daughter and my kids that the Soyuz spacecraft is very, very tight,
03:28so you cannot take anything that you want.
03:31For me, from the beginning, kids in my home always watching me progressing in the selection.
03:39So they are eager to see me in space, floating.
03:45So this is one of the things that I want to see, how I will float, how I will do this stuff in space.
03:50I think the big thing for the families, for our families to see us from the ground, from the earth, in the space,
03:59and conducting experiments, doing reports about the ISS, this is the important thing for them.
04:05My wife supported me from the beginning in terms of giving me information about space and her way,
04:14and making sure that the kids, the way they are really settled and they are comfort.
04:23So I am focusing more on my test and on my mission.
04:29Wives are playing a great role in this. They have suffered a lot.
04:35It is a common thing in the astronaut life that they are away from their families.
04:41So they are taking care of the kids while we are away. So all the respect to them.
04:47We will be the first Arabs from this region, or Middle East, going to the International Space Station.
04:53So it is the first time for them to check our body behavior.
04:58And our genes are a little bit different, so they want to check that and their experiments.
05:02It is not only microgravity. We will have radiation that will be tested on us.
05:09We will be carrying special equipment to measure this radiation.
05:13We will take some tests like a blood test, an eye test, and all these procedures that astronauts do on board the ISS.
05:23So it will be interesting to see someone from the region to be conducting these experiments.
05:27It is one of the facts about microgravity affecting the smell and taste.
05:31So we will lose that sensation up in space because all the fluid is going up to your head.
05:38The schedule is very busy with scientific experiments. That will be one of the steps that we will undergo soon.
05:45Actually, there is a Muslim astronaut who went before us to space in 2007 from Malaysia.
05:51And he did a good job in how to conduct these, like the brain and how to do it in space.
05:58So pointing to the Earth and praying is what we will do. And we will keep timing.
06:04By the way, in space, the time is not by the sun. It is like conducted from a laptop.
06:09So we will take the time from the time crunch and we will use that as our reference.
06:14All we want from them is to pray for us, support us. We want them to feel proud about this program.
06:21And we won't let them down. We will go there and we will raise a flag, inshallah.
06:26For me, I would like to really thank the support we gained not only from UAE, but from the Arab region and from everywhere.
06:33Everyone is proud of us to proceed with this mission. And thanks for everyone.