UAE Astronaut Engages in First Live Chat With Student in Dubai

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, who is currently orbiting the earth, connected for the first time with a large gathering of students from Jumeirah College to talk about his ride to space in a 10-minute ham live radio call on Tuesday, March 7th.

"The trip to space was like a really, really fast rollercoaster ride," Al Neyadi said, after completing less than a week aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The radio call was coordinated by Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS).

Al Neyadi also shared how he prepared for the mission, how he has been sleeping, what he misses most, how he overcomes homesickness, how he communicates with his family, what keeps him entertained during his free time, and what work he will be carrying out at the ISS.

During his mission, Al Neyadi has 19 experiments and advanced studies to work on, covering topics such as cardiovascular and immune system health, back pain, sleep analysis, and radiation.

He also talked about how everything floats at space, adding that it is important to strap yourself first before getting a sleep so you will not float around.

"For me the biggest entertainment is floating. It is amazing," Al Neyadi said, answering a student's question on how he keeps himself entertained.

He is scheduled for 13 live calls and 10 amateur radio interactions.

Al Neyadi is one of the first two people selected from 4,022 candidates to become the first Emirati astronauts, along with fellow Hazza Al Mansouri. He is a member of Dubai's Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC).

He is the second Emirati to travel into space after Al Mansouri, yet he's the first Arab ever to undertake a long-duration space mission. 

The mission will make UAE only the 11th country in the world to send an astronaut on a long-term mission to space.

The Crew-6 mission by NASA to the ISS lifted off on Thursday, March 2nd, at 9.34 am UAE time from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

The crew flew aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour, carried by the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.

Image source: @astro_alneyadi Instagram account