Dubai, UAE, 30 September 2019:  On his fourth day aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Hazzaa AlMansoori, the first Emirati astronaut, recorded the first-ever Arabic video tour, where he explained the components of the station and the equipment on board, in addition to a short brief about the daily life of astronauts on board the station. AlMansoori also read a children's story, called Amal and Khalifa, about two children traveling to the ISS, Mars, and the Moon, before returning to their homes in the UAE.

 

Communicating with the ground station in Dubai

 

AlMansoori began day 4 aboard the ISS by communicating with the ground station at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai, and informing them of his daily schedule. He then spoke to MBRSC again at the end of the day.

 

A video call also took place between AlMansoori, school students, and media professionals. This conference took place at MBRSC, where the audience had the opportunity to ask questions that were answered by AlMansoori.

 

While answering a series of questions, AlMansoori explained that he conducted a scientific experiment to study Fluidics, in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA), in addition to another experiment, Standards Measures in cooperation with NASA, to study the reaction of vital indicators of the human body in microgravity.

 

“In my spare time aboard the station, I read my favorite book ‘My Story’ by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai,” said AlMansoori.

 

AlMansoori highlighted that the difference between scientific experiments on Earth and in space is that the experiments carried out in space are done in microgravity, so the results are accurate, different, and serve humanity in several fields.

 

“I communicate with my family through special phones made for astronauts. My children are very happy with my trip to space. They continue to ask me about how I live aboard the ISS. As for the ground stations, we communicate via radio, email or other channels,” continued AlMansoori.

 

AlMansoori explained that the oxygen present at the ISS comes from a system designed to split water into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas.

 

During the call, AlMansoori presented the selected drawings from MBRSC’s Send To Space initiative, to the winners Aisha Salem, AlJoud Mohammed, Anas Khalid, Amna AlMeheiri, Mishal Faraz, Shaikha AlKetbi, Shamsa AlNaqbi, Yesmin Choutrey, Maryam Hammadi, Fatma AlNeyadi, Ghalia Ahli, and Reem AlNeyadi.

 

Daily scientific missions

 

AlMansoori conducted an experiment to study the mechanisms of action and efficiency of different countermeasures against disturbances in the astronaut’s motor activity under space flight conditions. 

 

AlMansoori then began the experiments involving schools in the UAE as part of MBRSC’s Science in Space initiative. These experiments will contribute to supporting the UAE curriculum with new scientific materials.

 

AlMansoori is conducting 16 scientific experiments in cooperation with international space agencies, including Russian Roscosmos, the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Six of these experiments will be conducted in microgravity, and the results of the two environments will later be compared. The experiments include studying the reaction of vital indicators of the human body aboard the ISS, as well as other physical, biological and chemical experiments.

 

Checking AlMansoori’s health status

 

AlMansoori also spoke to Dr. Hanan AlSuwaidi, the flight surgeon who is following up on his health status for the mission on a daily basis.

 

Documenting life aboard the ISS

 

AlMansoori recorded his diary for 15 minutes to document life aboard the ISS and his activities aboard.