There’s one big news driving people mad in the UAE right now. Wondering what it is? Well, the first Emirati has successfully stepped foot into space and we just can’t keep calm!
.@MBRSpaceCentre: Emirati first astronauts Hazzaa Al Mansoori joins Oleg Skripochka and Jessica Meir for the historic mission to International Space Station on Sep 25. Backup flight crew are #UAE's Sultan AlNeyadi, Sergey Ryzhikov and Thomas Marshburn. #Dubai #UAE pic.twitter.com/uRgbmVAA5A
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) June 17, 2019
What’s It?
Hazza Al Mansouri has been training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, Russia. Hazza, along with his backup astronaut- Sultan Al Neyadi stepped into space in the Soyuz MS-15 aircraft on 25 September. Within the first ten minutes, the astronauts traveled at speeds of over 25,000 km/h until they reached space. Images and videos of the liftoff have gone viral.
A Moment Of Pride
#حمدان_بن_محمد يصل إلى مركز محمد بن راشد ليشهد لحظة الانطلاق#طموح_زايد#طموح_زايد_يعانق_الفضاء #مركز_محمد_بن_راشد_للفضاء#هزاع_المنصوري#سلطان_النيادي#دبي_القابضة@MBRSpaceCentre @Space_Station @dubaiholding#dubaiholding#مؤسسة_دبي_للإعلام pic.twitter.com/xIrYzV6Jde
— قناة سما دبي (@SamadubaiTV) September 25, 2019
سعادة حمد المنصوري، رئيس مجلس إدارة #مركز_محمد_بن_راشد_للفضاء يرافق #أول_رائد_فضاء_إماراتي #هزاع_المنصوري إلى مركبة #السويوز قبل دقائق من الانطلاق. لقطات كنا نحلم بها منذ سنوات واليوم أصبحت واقعاً.. اليوم تحقق حلم الأب المؤسس الذي غرس فينا التميز جيلاً بعد جيل.@astro_hazzaa pic.twitter.com/yeHOtxkB80
— MBR Space Centre (@MBRSpaceCentre) September 25, 2019
Wishes poured in congratulating Mansour for the grand win!
A moment of joy and pride that will never be forgotten. Today marks a pivotal milestone in our journey into space and beyond. The #FirstEmiratiAstronaut praised the Almighty aboard the Soyuz MS spacecraft, which is on its way to the International Space Station.#HazzaaAlMansoori
— MBR Space Centre (@MBRSpaceCentre) September 25, 2019
5 دقائق فقط وينطلق #هزاع_المنصوري إلى #محطة_الفضاء_الدولية ليصبح #أول_رائد_فضاء_إمارتي في التاريخ. pic.twitter.com/dFpWdz3sBO
— MBR Space Centre (@MBRSpaceCentre) September 25, 2019
Earlier, it was reported that Al Mansouri will spend eight days in space before returning to earth. The mission also has aboard -Roscosmos commander Oleg Skripochka, and American astronaut, Jessica Meir. The crew trained on Soyuz MS-15, so they are well aware of the take off procedures and know how to act during an emergency.
Al Mansouri and Al Neyadi trained at the centres in Europe, Germany and Houston. In addition, the astronauts also underwent a thorough medical check up, in order to ensure they were mentally and physically fit.