UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi told The National on Wednesday that his time in space has helped him realise “how important it is to protect the planet”.
He was speaking from the International Space Station, where he arrived on March 3 for a six-month mission.
Asked if he had felt the overview effect — a powerful shift in how a person views the planet and life often experienced by astronauts — he said: “Honestly, arriving at the International Space Station and looking down at Earth and seeing this beautiful planet, you get this overall picture of it and everything that has happened throughout history.
“The people we knew and all of the events on Earth — it’s a profound experience, actually.
“And, personally, I do feel like we do need to keep this planet intact.
“Just today, I was flying over the Himalayas and I saw that boundary between air pollution, the clouds and the other side of the Himalayas.
“And I thought ‘wow, this is this is really incredible’.”
“So we need to protect this planet, we need to be happy on this planet.”
He said that as an astronaut on the space station, he “values” the oxygen and water he gets — luxuries that are taken for granted on Earth.
“Let's keep this planet intact, tidy and clean and hopefully we can live as long as possible.”
During his six-month stay in space, he will carry out more than 200 scientific experiments, including 19 from UAE universities.
He has been showing his Twitter followers some of the scientific investigations, such as research related to diabetes and testing technology in space that 3D-prints knee cartilage tissue.
On April 28, he will venture outside of the ISS for a six-and-a-half-hour assignment, in which he and a crewmate must replace communication hardware on the station's exterior.
The specs: Hyundai Ionic Hybrid
Price, base: Dh117,000 (estimate)
Engine: 1.6L four-cylinder, with 1.56kWh battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 105hp (engine), plus 43.5hp (battery)
Torque: 147Nm (engine), plus 170Nm (battery)
Fuel economy, combined: 3.4L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Andor
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
