Saudi astronauts gearing up to join the UAE's Sultan Al Neyadi on the International Space Station next week hope to inspire people across the Arab world.
Ali Al Qarni, 31, and Rayyanah Barnawi, 33, the first Saudi female astronaut, are preparing to blast off to the orbiting laboratory on May 22 at 1.37am GST (May 21, 5.37pm ET) from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
During their eight-day trip, they will meet Dr Al Neyadi, who arrived at the ISS on March 3 for a six-month mission.
It will be the first time astronauts from two Arab countries have visited the floating laboratory.
“I think it is a great opportunity that the three of us can be aboard the International Space Station,” said Mr Al Qarni, a former air force captain.
“It holds a big message that will inspire people and shows the Arab world [that] we are holding hands and working together for the betterment of humanity.”
Mr Al Qarni and Ms Barnawi will take off alongside American astronauts Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner on a Falcon 9 rocket.
The crew members spoke at a remote media briefing hosted by Axiom Space, the Houston company that helped arrange the trip for both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, on Tuesday.
Taking grandma's earrings to space
For Saudi Arabia, the trip shows the progress the kingdom is making in its Vision 2030 initiative.
Saudi Arabia sending its first woman to space less than five years after the kingdom lifted its ban on women driving in a notable display of societal growth.
Ms Barnawi, a research laboratory specialist with nine years of experience in cancer stem cell research, said she was honoured to be chosen for the milestone trip.
“I am very honoured and happy to be representing all the dreams and hopes of all the people in Saudi Arabia, and all the women back home,” she said.
She said that her family has been supportive of her endeavours and that her grandmother gave her earrings to carry to space with her.
“When I first told my grandmother that I was going to space, she gave me her 16-year-old earrings,” she said.
“This is what I'm taking with me to space, along with the Saudi flag, some photos of my family and also gifts for the members of Axiom who have helped us throughout this journey.”
Mr Al Qarni said that he explained to his wife and young daughter the importance of the trip and that they are supporting him.
He said he will be taking Saudi coffee and dates with him to space.
The two astronauts are the first Saudi citizens to go to space since the kingdom sent Prince Sultan bin Salman on Nasa's Space Shuttle nearly 40 years ago.
Passionate about space from a young age
Mr Al Qarni said that he has always been fascinated by the skies.
But his passion to pursue a career as an astronaut developed after he visited the Johnson Space Centre in Houston many years ago.
When the Saudi Space Commission announced that it was recruiting astronauts, he applied without hesitation.
“I grew up in a small town in Saudi Arabia, but with big dreams,” Mr Al Qarni said.
“I was training with the US Air Force and I remember that one weekend, we landed in Ellington Airfield, and we had the chance to visit the space centre in Houston and meet with a couple of astronauts.
“I think that was the moment that triggered my interest in space.”
Ms Barnawi said that her interest in space grew as she was training for the mission.
She said she is most excited about carrying out stem cell research during her stay on the ISS.
Breakthrough science experiments in space
The four crew members have been assigned 20 experiments, including 14 that Ms Barnawi and Mr Al Qarni will carry out for Saudi scientists on the ground.
One of the experiments they will carry out is testing cloud-seeding techniques in a reaction chamber.
Another investigation is for the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre and involves studying the inflammatory response of human immune cells in microgravity.
They will also investigate changes in mRNA – a genetic material that tells the body how to make proteins.
How to watch the launch
SpaceX and Axiom Space will do a live broadcast of the launch on their website and social media channels.
There is a back-up launch date set for May 23.
But if that opportunity is also missed, the crew may have to wait until the summer, as Nasa and SpaceX will have to prioritise other missions that are coming up.
SpaceX said that it was tracking the weather for launch day.
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Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
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Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES
June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24
July 8: New Zealand v Lions
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Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
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THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
Role model: Any good man
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
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RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Lady Parma, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Tabernas, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash.
2.45pm: Handicap Dh95,000 1,200m
Winner: Night Castle, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,400m
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Mutawakked, Szczepan Mazur, Musabah Al Muhairi.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Tafaakhor, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Cranesbill, Fabrice Veron, Erwan Charpy.
