Sultan Al Neyadi to perform first spacewalk by an Arab astronaut
The UAE's Sultan Al Neyadi will become the first Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk on April 28.
It will be a giant leap forward for the country's growing space programme and for the region.
But it is a significant step he is well prepared to make.
Astronauts assigned to carry out spacewalks must first spend several hours in one of the world's largest indoor pools to get ready for the daunting task.
The 12-metre-deep pool is located in the Neutral Byouancy Laboratory at the Sonny Carter Training Facility in Houston, Texas.
Operational since 1995, it has served not only Americans, but those who have partnerships with Nasa, including astronauts from parts of Europe, Japan, Canada, and most recently from the UAE.
"The NBL serves as the perfect training centre for astronauts as they prepare for their space flight missions," Nasa said.
"Although astronauts do not achieve true weightlessness in the NBL, the simulations do provide each crew member with a solid spacewalking foundation which better prepares them for the extravehicular activities (EVAs) they will conduct in zero gravity."
Astronauts routinely venture outside of the International Space Station to carry out repair work and install or replace equipment on the exterior of the structure.
Why is it so deep?
The pool is 12.1m deep and holds 23.4 million litres of water to help simulate microgravity so astronauts can train.
Neutral buoyancy means the object has an equal tendency to float as it does to sink. To help achieve this in water, Nasa uses a combination of weights and flotation devices.
This helps astronauts-in-training spend up to seven hours beneath the water, where a mock-up of the ISS is placed.
They wear their 127kg-heavy EVA suits while training underwater.
While they do not feel the weight of the bulky suit in space, they do still feel some of it during their NBL training because they are not experiencing true weightlessness.
Getting into the spacesuit
But before they can go underwater, astronauts first have to complete the lengthy process of suiting up.
"Putting on a spacesuit takes 45 minutes, including the time it takes to put on the special undergarments that help keep astronauts cool," Nasa said.
"After putting on the spacesuit, to adapt to the lower pressure maintained in the suit, the astronaut must spend a little more than an hour breathing pure oxygen before going outside the pressurised module."
Spending seven hours underwater
The astronauts are then lowered into the pool using a special robotic lift.
They sometimes spend up to seven hours underwater, practising the tasks they will be doing during the real spacewalk.
Their suits are fitted with oxygen-enriched breathing gas, or nitrox, so they can carry out the long training sessions.
How do they keep the water clean?
Nasa said that the water within the NBL is recycled every 19.6 hours.
It is automatically monitored and controlled to a temperature of 27-31°C to prevent hypothermia.
It is also chemically treated to control contaminant growth, which also helps reduce long-term corrosion effect on training mock-ups and equipment.
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
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2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
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Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
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MCC v Surrey, four-day match, starting on Sunday, March 24, play starts at 10am
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Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
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Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
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- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
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