Emirati astronauts prepare for exhaustive tests in next phase

Gulf News

Emirati astronauts Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi's next phase of training set to be more rigorous

Transcript

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.

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