Next year, the first female Emirati trainee astronaut will successfully complete her NASA program, making her qualified to participate in space missions led by the US. Nora Al Matrooshi is the first Emirati and Arab woman to be selected for astronaut training. Emirati astronaut trainees Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla are learning the mechanics of extravehicular activities (EVAs), the technical term for spacewalks.
The astronauts have been training at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, since January of 2022. The UAE trainee astronauts are following the footsteps of Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati in space, and Sultan Al Neyadi, who is on the longest space mission in the Arab world aboard the International Space Station.
Astronaut training
A Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre representative commented, “As part of NASA’s 2021 astronaut candidate class training program, Emirati astronauts Nora Al Mastrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla recently completed a series of rigorous training exercises in the USA. They are set to graduate in early 2024 as flight-eligible astronauts.”
As part of their astronaut training, Matrooshi and Mulla underwent survival training in a remote forest in Fort Rucker, Alabama. The training had them building fires, making shelters, and gathering food and water alongside NASA trainees.
Further, they explored the V20 Thermal Vacuum Chamber at the Marshall Space Flight Centre. This facility replicates lunar conditions.
Learning the spacewalk
Their training at the NBL, the world’s largest indoor pool dedicated to simulated spacewalk training, marks a critical phase in their astronaut training journey.
The primary purpose of the NBL is to prepare astronauts for space missions involving spacewalks. Currently, Al Matrooshi and Al Mulla are immersed in training within the expansive facility, measuring 202 ft in length, 102 ft in width, and 40 ft in depth. This enables them to master the intricate procedures essential for successful space exploration.
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Central to this training is the concept of neutral buoyancy, which replicates the weightlessness encountered in space. By achieving neutral buoyancy, astronauts can manipulate large objects under conditions similar to microgravity. The NBL serves as the most accurate training environment on Earth for simulating spacewalks.
At NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, the trainees donned a spacewalking suit, which has a weight of approximately 130kg. Moreover, the two trainee astronauts will receive instruction in piloting T-38 supersonic jets and the space station’s systems.
Emirati astronauts taking flight
The MBRSC, responsible for managing the nation’s astronaut program, announced their intention to dispatch astronauts to space at intervals of three to five years.
The ISS will be retired by the end of the decade. However, Emirati astronauts may end up participating in upcoming ventures involving private space stations and lunar missions.
Private space stations will likely open the way for commercial space tourism. Furthermore, research and innovation in zero gravity conditions can open up doors for several fields, such as space, medicine, and technology. Meanwhile, government-operated organizations such as NASA focus on manned expeditions to the Moon and further destinations.
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