Hazza Al Mansouri said he was “proud” but “a bit jealous” of fellow Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, who is gearing up for a six-month mission to the International Space Station next spring.
The Emirati astronaut, who spent eight days on board the space station in 2019, made his remarks during an event at the Museum of the Future on Wednesday.
During his mission three years ago, he left Earth's atmosphere on a Soyuz capsule, a spacecraft with an outdated, cramped style but which is still a reliable transport method.
He jokingly said that he was slightly envious of Dr Al Neyadi, his backup astronaut in the UAE’s first space mission, and his coming ride on Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Capsule.
“After doing training for two years at Nasa, we are ready,” Maj Al Mansouri said.
“We can fly for long-duration missions on board the International Space Station and I'm really looking forward to see him [Dr Al Neyadi] floating and experiencing microgravity.
“I would say I'm jealous because of the vehicle that he’s going to fly with — a SpaceX Crew Dragon currently launching from Florida. It’s a futuristic vehicle, indeed.”
Dr Al Neyadi has been assigned the Arab world’s first long-duration space mission, in which he will spend six months on the space station.
He, along with three Nasa and Russian colleagues, will head towards the station on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre.
The SpaceX capsule is more spacious than the Soyuz, with enough space for seven crew members, compared with three seats on the Russian spacecraft. It also has a sleeker design and features touchscreens.
The Dragon successfully completed its first crewed flight to the station in 2019 after being launched on top of a Falcon 9 rocket.
This helped to return human space flight launches to US soil once again, after relying on the Russians for more than a decade.
Since then, SpaceX has launched five crewed flights for Nasa, with the sixth one planned for next spring.
While Dr Al Neyadi will have a fancier ride to space, Maj Al Mansouri was the first Arab astronaut to board the ISS.
He said he would go to space again even if it was in a spacecraft smaller than the Soyuz.
Maj Al Mansouri and Dr Al Neyadi were the first two Emiratis to be selected for a mission through the UAE’s astronaut corps.
The two refer to each other as “brothers”, having spent more than three years training together in many different parts of the world.
Maj Al Mansouri said that it was an exciting time for space exploration and encouraged young people to pursue their dreams even if they seemed farfetched.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Jetour T1 specs
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Final round
25 under - Antoine Rozner (FRA)
23 - Francesco Laporta (ITA), Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG)
21 - Grant Forrest (SCO)
20 - Ross Fisher (ENG)
19 - Steven Brown (ENG), Joakim Lagergren (SWE), Niklas Lemke (SWE), Marc Warren (SCO), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)
