UAE space traveller Sultan Al Neyadi may be more than 400km above Earth, but he never feels too far away from home.
The astronaut took a tour of the Arabian Peninsula from the best window seat there is, on board the International Space Station.
Dr Al Neyadi shared footage of the region as seen from space — including the UAE — in his latest message on social media on Wednesday.
He pointed out a number of capitals and cities, including Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Muscat in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait, as well as the Emirates.
The recording was taken from an observation module on the station.
“We are currently passing over the Arabian Peninsula,” said Dr Al Neyadi, while narrating the snapshot of Earth.
“It's morning, and there is nothing better than starting the day by admiring our country.”
Dr Al Neyadi is seen opening a window on the cupola to share the “beautiful view” with his social media followers back on Earth.
“As you can see the view is stunning,” he said.
The astronaut from Al Ain looked down at the vast Empty Quarter, before taking a closer look at Liwa, the hometown of his fellow Emirati astronaut, Maj Hazza Al Mansouri.
He then showed the landscapes of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, making mention of the man-made islands Palm Jumeirah, an area regularly captured by astronauts on the ISS.
“We crossed the Arabian Peninsula in a few minutes,” Sultan Al Neyadi said of his guided tour.
The ISS orbits the Earth at a speed of 27,000 kph,
“And it is very quick. This morning I wanted to share these special moments with you as we passed over my country, which I dearly miss, and saw its terrain and beautiful views.”
Dr Al Neyadi marked the start of Ramadan by sharing views of the crescent Moon becoming visible after the Sun set.
He arrived at the orbiting laboratory on March 3 for a six-month mission, the Arab world’s first long-duration space trip.
Dr Al Neyadi has offered the public regular glimpses of life aboard in space on social media.
Sultan Al Neyadi in space - in pictures
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“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
