UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi is taking his "A Call From Space" initiative global and will be speaking to pupils in Mauritius from the International Space Station this week.
He will answer questions from pupils and space enthusiasts on Thursday, 3pm GST.
He arrived on the space station on March 3 to carry out more than 200 experiments for scientists around the world, including in the UAE.
The live call is part of the A Call From Space educational initiative in which Dr Al Neyadi interacts with space enthusiasts.
Dr Al Neyadi, 41, held his first live video call with the public in March at the Dubai Opera, an event that was attended by 1,900 students, police officers and residents.
Dressed in a blue astronaut jumpsuit, he took questions about how life had been since arriving at the orbiting laboratory.
One of the pupils asked him what his biggest challenge had been.
“The space environment is very difficult, but we are getting more familiar day after day,” Dr Al Neyadi said. “I can be upside down, but I won't have that feeling.”
About 400 guests are expected to attend the latest event, to watch the Emirati astronaut float inside the orbiting laboratory and hear him speak.
The special long distance call highlights the strong ties between the UAE and the island nation.
An agreement is in place between the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre and Mauritius to support its space sector.
The agreement between MBRSC and Mauritius includes sending Mauritian payloads on the PHI-1 mission, as well as training the island's engineers.
PHI-1 is being developed under the Payload Hosting Initiative, a platform by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and MBRSC that offers opportunities in space to start-ups and countries developing their own space programmes.
Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
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The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
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Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
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