UAE astronaut Neyadi spends a month in space, witnesses over 450 sunrises and sunsets

Syed Shayaan Bakht, Staff Reporter

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has completed a month in space and shared his nostalgic views about the journey and earth.

Al Neyadi along with two Nasa astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut blasted off to the International Space Station on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on March 2.

The SpaceX Dragon Crew-6 mission launched at 12:34 am (09.34am UAE time) from Launch Complex 39A at Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Emirati wrote on Twitter, “A month ago, we launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida and began our journey into space.

Since then, we have witnessed more than 450 sunrises and sunsets, and made significant progress in the experiments and research for our mission. United with my crew, we continue to work towards achieving our scientific goals.

From Earth to space, I proudly carry forth Zayed's Ambition.”

It was the second launch attempt for the mission after Feb.27 due to last minute glitch.

Over the past one month, Neyadi has shown the world his day-day tasks and educated many of us about microgravity and basics of space exploration.

Recently, Al Neyadi published photos showing him separating oxygen from hydrogen to obtain air to breathe, and refining previously used water and other liquids to obtain clean water again aboard the International Space Station.

Al Neyadi said, “Water is a precious resource in space. It is used to create clean air by separating oxygen from hydrogen, and it is also recycled to provide a continuous supply of clean water.

“In these photos, I'm working on the tank that recycles water, while wearing a PPE kit to prevent contamination.

“Ensuring a well-maintained life support system is a key task for astronauts, particularly during long-duration missions.”

The Emirati astronaut highlighted that PPE is important to prevent any contamination during the purification process.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre shared a photo of Al Neyadi and free-flying AstroBee robotic helper conducting routine tasks at ISS’s KIBO laboratory.

The Space Centre wrote, Astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi alongside a free-flying AstroBee robotic helper at the KIBO laboratory module aboard the International Space Station.

“The cube-shaped AstroBee robot is being tested for its ability to assist astronauts with routine tasks and provide data to ground controllers from the ISS.

Throughout his time on the ISS, Sultan will also use Astrobee to run educational challenges with UAE universities.

Al Neyadi has been conducting tasks at ISS and has been sharing his opinions and some breathtaking photos of planet earth from above.

His latest capture shows the massive sandstorms in the Sahara desert.
He wrote on Twitter, “From so far away, I am constantly reminded of the beauty of our planet.

One of my favourite activities on the ISS is getting behind the lens for Earth observation, capturing breathtaking sights that can only be witnessed from space.
I'm delighted to share this recent image I clicked of a sandstorm, sweeping across the enchanting Sahara desert.”

The astronaut, who has made history by embarking on the longest Arab space mission, said, “On Earth, exercising is important. In space, it's vital. Aboard the International Space Station, we exercise for 2.5 hours every day to avoid muscle atrophy and bone loss triggered by microgravity.”

Nasa said astronaut Al Neyadi and his Crew-6 colleagues have started to work on their tasks aboard the ISS.

The four Crew-6 members are two NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, Russian cosmonaut, Andrey Fedyaev, and Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi.

The crew will spend six months on the station, where they will conduct more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations, according to SpaceX.

The mission was the first space flight for Neyadi, Hoburg and Fedyaev.

Neyadi, 41, is the fourth astronaut from an Arab country and the second from the oil-rich UAE to journey to space.

Fedyaev is the second Russian cosmonaut to fly to the ISS aboard a SpaceX rocket. NASA astronauts fly regularly to the station on Russian Soyuz craft.

Space has remained a rare venue of cooperation between Moscow and Washington since the Russian offensive in Ukraine placed them in sharp opposition.