The UAE will become the 10th country to execute a spacewalk on the International Space Station…reports Asian Lite News
UAE Astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi is scheduled to make history today as the first Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk on the International Space Station (ISS) during Expedition 69, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) said today.
“It’s the first Arab spacewalk in history, a new Emirati milestone that will mark the Arab space exploration journey. The live coverage will begin at 4:30 PM. The mission will start at 5:15 PM (UAE time),” said MBRSC in its official twitter account.
On Friday, April 28, the UAE will become the 10th country to execute a spacewalk on the ISS, with Al Neyadi taking part in the 261st spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.
The fourth spacewalk of the year on the ISS will be historic, as Al Neyadi and Nasa Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen collaborate to complete critical duties.
“Tomorrow, Steve Bowen and I will do a spacewalk outside the ISS to change the Radio Frequency Group unit and prepare for the installation of solar panels. After a long period of training, we are ready to take on the challenge and create a new milestone for our mission,” tweeted Al Neyadi from ISS.
UAE writing new chapter
The UAE is writing a new chapter of achievements in the space sector.
Earlier this week, the UAE announced a series of updates and new photos of the small Martian moon, “Deimos,” which were taken by the three scientific devices of the Hope Probe during its passage through its closest point to the Moon, at a distance of only some 100 kilometres.
The images, which capture the farside of the 12.4-km-wide Deimos, were taken during a fly-by performed on March 10, Nature reported.
Instead of the carbon-rich rock often found in asteroids, the scientists found a flat spectrum which is suggestive of the type of material seen on Mars’ surface. This shows that Deimos was formed from the same material as the planet.
Meanwhile, the Hope Probe will focus on collecting data and monitoring observations that will facilitate research in the relationship between the upper and lower layers of the Martian atmosphere, which will enable the scientific community to have an accurate understanding of the climate and atmosphere of times at different times of the day.
Research samples sent from space
AlNeyadi along with his crew was responsible for sending back critical research samples on the Dragon cargo spacecraft before its return from the 27th contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
The spacecraft carrying approximately 1950 kg of valuable scientific experiments and other cargo back to Earth, splashed down off the coast of Tampa, Florida in the US on Sunday at 12:58 UAE time.
AlNeyadi, who has been working on scientific experiments on the ISS, completed the stowage of critical research samples along with his Expedition 69 crew members, that include NASA’s Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen, Woody Hoburg and Frank Rubio.
AlNeyadi further accessed the Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer (MELFI) on the ISS, that can reach temperatures to a low of -100°C, to preserve some samples before sending them to Earth and was also involved in loading the used station hardware inside the Dragon spacecraft.
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