Training to live in space was no easy task for the first two Emirati astronauts.
Maj Hazza Al Mansouri and his back-up Dr Sultan Al Neyadi had to undergo rigorous physical and technical training in zero gravity conditions for the mission.
They also learnt Russian to be able to communicate with other members of the crew.
Maj Al Mansouri was the first Emirati to go into space on board a Russian Soyuz rocket that took off on September 25 last year.
Maj Al Mansouri and Dr Al Neyadi shared their training experiences in Russia during a webinar on Sunday evening.
We used to eat biscuits to survive. It may sound fun but it was very hard
During their training days, they would sit in a rotating chair, sleep in an inverted bed for hours and follow a bodybuilding regime for two hours daily.
The astronauts had to bear extreme cold after they were left in the middle of nowhere.
“The idea was not just to live in extreme cold weather, but also to be able to build a shelter in the area we were in,” said Maj Al Mansouri.
Both astronauts had to undergo survival training, which prepared them to survive in harsh winter conditions ahead of the trip to the International Space Station (ISS) and to deal with an unlikely crash-landing in a hostile environment.
“We had to communicate through a walkie-talkie to know if the other person was in trouble to help them,” said Maj Al Mansouri.
“We also learned how to take advantage of whatever food was available, and starting fires from flares.”
“We used to eat biscuits to survive. It may sound fun but it was very hard,” said Dr Al Neyadi.
The pair had to learn Russian to communicate with other crew members.
Maj Al Mansouri showed a photo of a rotating chair in which they had to sit to feel weightless and get used to a zero gravity environment.
“So, the challenge was how to prepare your body for these things,” he said.
“On Earth, you could be unable to endure this chair but, once in space, you feel fine with the rotation.”
Dr Al Neyadi showed the picture of an inverted bed which they used for two weeks, “to get used to the feeling of being upside down”.
“The fluids start rushing to your head and you feel your head is bloated and your nose is blocked. You can’t smell things anymore and your voice changes,” he said.
“In the beginning, the pressure on the head really gave us a headache, but we had to train our bodies to be in that position.”
Maj Al Mansouri also showed how he had to dock in an inverted position to prepare himself for the launch.
“I had to sit like this for hours and it was not easy. You have to be fit to be able to sit like this on the day of the launch,” he said.
Maj Al Mansouri said the painful training was worth going into space.
“During the launch, I was under pressure and I swear to God I was scared. But [it’s a different kind of fear] when you are [well-trained and aware],” he said.
“It’s like when we were in school waiting to take a test. One who has studied well won’t have the same fear as one who did not study at all.
“I was proud to represent my country, but at the same time, I was scared if something went wrong with the launch.
“I was excited that my dream as a child would be accomplished within a few minutes.
“The rocket was flying so fast, and when we were in space, I felt the absence of gravity. It was incredible.”
Maj Al Mansouri recalled looking at Earth from space and trying to locate Arab countries.
“It is wonderful to see Earth from space. I was trying to identify the UAE but then I realised that from space you don’t see the border between countries,” he said.
“This is a lesson that we astronauts try to communicate to everyone. We are all humans, regardless of race, colour and the borders between us.”
At the ISS, astronauts and scientists came from different parts of the world, he said.
“This shows that if we co-operate, we will accomplish the impossible”.
Maj Al Mansouri enjoyed “playing superman in space”.
“I am human at the end of the day. I had to practice flying and do free falls,” he said while showing a photo of himself in the superman position inside the spacecraft.
Maj Al Mansouri returned to Earth on October 2.
He was unable to walk for around two weeks as his body needed time to get used to gravity again.
“But now everything is fine,” he said.
“After eight days in space, I can tell you that life in space is remarkable and that nothing is impossible. With determination, you can accomplish anything.”
For all budding astronauts, he had a few words of advice: be passionate about exploration, get the right scientific knowledge, and train to be physically, mentally and psychologically fit.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The five pillars of Islam
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
What: Brazil v South Korea
When: Tonight, 5.30pm
Where: Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Men from Barca's class of 99
Crystal Palace - Frank de Boer
Everton - Ronald Koeman
Manchester City - Pep Guardiola
Manchester United - Jose Mourinho
Southampton - Mauricio Pellegrino
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
