UAE in space: a glimpse of the hardcore training that prepared astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri

Training to live in space was no easy task for the first two Emirati astronauts. Maj Hazza Al Mansouri and his back-up Dr Sultan Al Neyadi had to undergo rigorous physical and technical training in zero gravity conditions for the mission. They also learnt Russian to be able to communicate with other members of the crew. Maj Al Mansouri was the first Emirati to go into space on board a Russian Soyuz rocket that took off on September 25 last year. Maj Al Mansouri and Dr Al Neyadi shared their training experiences in Russia during a webinar on Sunday evening. During their training days, they would sit in a rotating chair, sleep in an inverted bed for hours and follow a bodybuilding regime for two hours daily. The astronauts had to bear extreme cold after they were left in the middle of nowhere. “The idea was not just to live in extreme cold weather, but also to be able to build a shelter in the area we were in,” said Maj Al Mansouri. Both astronauts had to undergo survival training, which prepared them to survive in harsh winter conditions ahead of the trip to the International Space Station (ISS) and to deal with an unlikely crash-landing in a hostile environment. “We had to communicate through a walkie-talkie to know if the other person was in trouble to help them,” said Maj Al Mansouri. “We also learned how to take advantage of whatever food was available, and starting fires from flares.” “We used to eat biscuits to survive. It may sound fun but it was very hard,” said Dr Al Neyadi. The pair had to learn Russian to communicate with other crew members. Maj Al Mansouri showed a photo of a rotating chair in which they had to sit to feel weightless and get used to a zero gravity environment. “So, the challenge was how to prepare your body for these things,” he said. “On Earth, you could be unable to endure this chair but, once in space, you feel fine with the rotation.” Dr Al Neyadi showed the picture of an inverted bed which they used for two weeks, “to get used to the feeling of being upside down”. “The fluids start rushing to your head and you feel your head is bloated and your nose is blocked. You can’t smell things anymore and your voice changes,” he said. “In the beginning, the pressure on the head really gave us a headache, but we had to train our bodies to be in that position.” Maj Al Mansouri also showed how he had to dock in an inverted position to prepare himself for the launch. “I had to sit like this for hours and it was not easy. You have to be fit to be able to sit like this on the day of the launch,” he said. Maj Al Mansouri said the painful training was worth going into space. “During the launch, I was under pressure and I swear to God I was scared. But [it’s a different kind of fear] when you are [well-trained and aware],” he said. “It’s like when we were in school waiting to take a test. One who has studied well won’t have the same fear as one who did not study at all. “I was proud to represent my country, but at the same time, I was scared if something went wrong with the launch. “I was excited that my dream as a child would be accomplished within a few minutes. “The rocket was flying so fast, and when we were in space, I felt the absence of gravity. It was incredible.” Maj Al Mansouri recalled looking at Earth from space and trying to locate Arab countries. “It is wonderful to see Earth from space. I was trying to identify the UAE but then I realised that from space you don’t see the border between countries,” he said. “This is a lesson that we astronauts try to communicate to everyone. We are all humans, regardless of race, colour and the borders between us.” At the ISS, astronauts and scientists came from different parts of the world, he said. “This shows that if we co-operate, we will accomplish the impossible”. Maj Al Mansouri enjoyed “playing superman in space”. “I am human at the end of the day. I had to practice flying and do free falls,” he said while showing a photo of himself in the superman position inside the spacecraft. Maj Al Mansouri returned to Earth on October 2. He was unable to walk for around two weeks as his body needed time to get used to gravity again. “But now everything is fine,” he said. “After eight days in space, I can tell you that life in space is remarkable and that nothing is impossible. With determination, you can accomplish anything.” For all budding astronauts, he had a few words of advice: be passionate about exploration, get the right scientific knowledge, and train to be physically, mentally and psychologically fit.

UAE in space: a glimpse of the hardcore training that prepared astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri

The Emirati astronaut was trained to deal with an unlikely crash-landing in a hostile environment