Space mission:Hazza Al Mansoori back to Earth, covered in UAE flag

Emirati astronaut Hazza Al Mansoori has returned to Earth following his eight-day mission on board the International Space Station, ISS.

Al Mansoori touched down safely in the Soyuz MS-12 descent module in Kazakhstan on Thursday.

I have learned a lot about living in space: Hazza Al Mansouri

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, MBRSC, organised a press conference for Hazza Al Mansoori, the first Emirati astronaut, with the editors in chief and journalists from various UAE media organisations on Wednesday.

Al Mansoori, who spoke to the media via radio call from aboard the International Space Station,ISS, said that the most important lessons he had learned from his experience included the daily life in the space station, the zero-gravity environment and performing prayers in the space.

"There are so many devices in here and I really benefitted a lot from working with my fellow astronauts who were kind enough to share their knowledge, experience, and the lessons that they have learned along the way," he said.

Al Mansoori said he was filled with pride when he spoke in Arabic, with Emirati accent.

"At that moment, I remembered the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who dreamed about this moment. I was also proud when I saw the UAE and the Arab world from space for the first time."

The UAE first astronaut also paid tribute to his teachers, adding that he studied at a public school in Liwa.

Al Mansoori conducted 16 scientific experiments in cooperation with international space agencies, including the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos. Six of these experiments will be conducted in microgravity, and the results of the two environments will later be compared.

The experiments include studying the reaction of vital indicators of the human body aboard the ISS, as well as other physical, biological and chemical experiments. Al Mansoori was the first astronaut from the Arab region to participate in such research.

Al Mansoori then began the experiments involving schools in the UAE as part of MBRSC’s Science in Space initiative. In the first phase of the initiative, nearly 16 schools from the UAE participated in the experiments with Al Mansoori present at the workshops.

The UAE Astronaut Programme is the first integrated programme in the Arab region to prepare national cadres to participate in human space flights and carry out various scientific missions, in addition to becoming a part of the research carried out by the global scientific community to devise solutions to many challenges facing humanity.

The UAE Astronaut Programme is funded by the ICT fund of the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority. Launched in 2007, the fund, which is the first of its kind in the Arab world, aims to support research and development within the ICT sector in the UAE, to help it grow into a nationally significant and world-leading industry.

Hazza Al Mansoori studies mechanisms of action in astronaut’s motor activity at ISS

On his sixth day aboard the International Space Station,ISS, Hazza Al Mansoori, the first Emirati astronaut, conducted an experiment to study the mechanisms of action and efficiency of different countermeasures against disturbances in the astronaut’s motor activity under space flight conditions.

Al Mansoori also conducted an experiment to study bone status indexes, body composition, and endocrine regulation in cosmonauts before and after a short-term space flight.

Al Mansoori began day 6 aboard the ISS by communicating with the ground station at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai, and informing them of his daily schedule. He then spoke to MBRSC again at the end of the day. A video conference also took place between Al Mansoori, school students, and media professionals, where the audience had the opportunity to ask questions that were answered by Al Mansoori. This event was attended by Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, who asked him to say a few words to youth who dream of exploring space.

In a message to young people who dream of exploring space, Al Mansoori said, "Anyone in the UAE is lucky, and Emiratis are lucky, because we have leaders who have given us all the tools for success. To the youth of the UAE and the Arab region, I say, hope exists, and we at the United Arab Emirates have opportunities in all fields, but we must work with dedication and depend on Allah, while having a strong willpower. This is what we learn from our leaders; that there is no impossible, and that you will achieve your goals if you work hard enough. I thank Allah for my country, the United Arab Emirates".

The students asked Al Mansoori if there is Internet on board the station. They also asked him about his favourite scientific experiment, the distance from Earth to the ISS, if they switch off the lights at the ISS when they sleep, the adopted time at the ISS, if he wants to return to the ISS after completing his mission, and the first thing he will do upon his return to Earth.

Al Mansoori highlighted that his favourite experiment was using Virtual Reality in studying time perception.

He explained that the ISS is about 400 kilometers from Earth, and said that he wants to return to the station a second, third and fourth time. He also thanked the UAE’s wise leadership for giving him this opportunity.

"Most of the lights inside the station are switched off when we are asleep, to save energy, and the adopted time at the ISS is Greenwich Mean Time. Our day starts at 6:00 am, and ends at 9:30 pm," added Al Mansoori.

Al Mansoori also said that there is Internet on board the station that they use while communicating with the ground station for communication and sending e-mails.

He confirmed that the first thing he will do when he returns to Earth is to speak to his mother and tell her that he has returned safely.

The astronaut recorded his diary for 15 minutes to document life aboard the ISS and his activities aboard.

Al Mansoori also spoke to Dr. Hanan Al Suwaidi, the flight surgeon for the mission, who followed his medical status throughout his time in space.

Al Mansoori conducted 16 scientific experiments in cooperation with international space agencies, including the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos. Six of these experiments will be conducted in microgravity, and the results of the two environments will later be compared. The experiments include studying the reaction of vital indicators of the human body aboard the ISS, as well as other physical, biological and chemical experiments. Al Mansoori was the first astronaut from the Arab region to participate in such research.

He also conducted some of "Science in Space" experiments, which is organised by MBRSC in participation with schools from the UAE. In the first phase, the experiments were done on Earth before the mission in the presence of the Emirati astronauts Hazza Al Mansoori and Sultan Al Neyadi.

Students engage with Hazza Al Mansoori to control Int-Ball aboard ISS

On his fifth day aboard the International Space Station, Emirati astronaut Hazza Al Mansoori started his day by communicating with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, MBRSC, teams at the ground stations in Moscow and in Dubai and informing them of his daily schedule.

Communicating with the ground station in Dubai, MBRSC organised two video conference calls between Al Mansoori, school students, and the public.

The first conference call was held in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, where Al Mansoori showed how the JEM Camera Robot, Int-Ball, works aboard the ISS. Students were given the opportunity to interact with Al Mansoori to select the correct answers to control the Int-Ball.

The conference call was also attended by Emirati students in Japan, in the presence of Khaled Omran Al Ameri, UAE Ambassador to Japan, and a team from MBRSC.

The second conference call was held in cooperation with the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos, where students asked Al Mansoori how water reaches the ISS, what is the most beautiful thing at the station, how he sleeps, why astronauts are trained at hyper-gravity, reaching 9G’s,  what changed in his body during this trip, and if he has visited the different divisions and sections at the station.

In his answer, Al Mansoori explained that water is delivered to the station via cargo, which are similar to the Soyuz spacecraft that carry astronauts to the ISS.

He added that the steam is collected from the station and converted to water."The most beautiful thing in the station is microgravity; watch how ‘Suhail’ – the mission mascot– is floating, and watch how I drink water," said Al Mansoori. He highlighted that astronauts train at a gravitational force of 9-G prior to traveling to space because the gravitational force in the rocket reaches 5-G during launch, and can reach 9-G at emergency situations. "I visited all the departments at the ISS, in a tour where I filmed everything. Today I was at JAXA’s Kibo Laboratory, and yesterday I was at ESA’s Columbus Laboratory. I'm excited to share with you the first video about the station in Arabic soon," added Al Mansoori.

"Many changes happened in my body, the size of my head grew bigger because of the rush of fluids upward, and my sense of smell also changed. However, I began to adapt and get used to it after some time," continued Al Mansoori. Checking his health status Al Mansoori also spoke to Dr. Hanan Al Suwaidi, the flight surgeon for the mission, who is following his medical status throughout his time in space.

Al Mansoori also trained on the descending procedure on the Soyuz MS-12, along with Nick Hague and Aleksey Ovchinin.

Al Mansoori conducted a study on the autonomic regulation of cardiovascular system, central hemodynamic, and the influence of space flight factors on the spatial distribution of the energy of heart contraction. Al Mansoori then began the experiments involving schools in the UAE as part of MBRSC’s Science in Space initiative. Documenting life aboard the ISS, Al Mansoori recorded his diary for 15 minutes to document life aboard the ISS and his activities aboard.

Al Mansoori will conduct 16 scientific experiments in cooperation with international space agencies, including Roscosmos, ESA, NASA, and JAXA. Six of these experiments will be conducted in microgravity, and the results of the two environments will later be compared. The experiments include studying the reaction of vital indicators of the human body aboard the ISS. Al Mansoori be the first astronaut from the Arab region to participate in such research.

Hazza Al Mansoori conducts Osteology aboard ISS

Hazza Al Mansoori, the first Emirati astronaut, has shared a series of photos with the team at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, MBRSC, conducting an experiment on bone status indexes, body composition, and endocrine regulation in astronauts. This experiment on Osteology is conducted in cooperation with the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos.

The pictures show Al Mansoori and the Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka while using the station’s equipment to conduct the experiment. Al Mansoori also appears in a different picture as he calculates his body mass index to study the impact of microgravity on bone density.

Al Mansoori regularly communicates with the Emirati engineers at MBRSC’s ground station in Dubai and Russia’s Mission Control Centre, to brief them on his scientific experiments and daily routine, and send pictures and videos, while on board the ISS.

Al Mansoori will conduct 16 scientific experiments in cooperation with international space agencies, including Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, ESA, NASA, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA. Six of these experiments will be conducted in microgravity, and the results of the two environments will later be compared. The experiments include studying the reaction of vital indicators of the human body aboard the ISS, as well as other physical, biological and chemical experiments.

According to MBRSC, Al Mansoori is the first astronaut from the Arab region to participate in such research.

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