UAE’s Sultan Al Neyadi makes history, becomes first Arab spacewalker
UAE astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi has become the first Arab to undertake a spacewalk during Expedition 69 venturing out of the International Space Station (ISS) and completing his spacewalk. The historic spacewalk lasted 7.01 hours in the vacuum of space on the starboard side of the ISS’s truss structure, accomplishing two key objectives.
One of the objectives of the Extravehicular Activity (EVA), undertaken by Al-Neyadi along with NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen, was to work on a series of preparatory tasks which involved routing power cables, which was successfully concluded. The duo carried out two crucial tasks during their maintenance assignment, including preparing a structure on the station’s exterior for a future solar array installation. A live stream by Nasa showed the astronauts tied only to a tether, as they floated in the darkness of space, doing intricate repair work while wearing a bulky spacesuit.
UAE President Sheikh Mohammed hailed the historic week the UAE has had in space exploration, including Friday’s spacewalk. “With this week’s new discoveries by the Hope probe, the achievements of the Rashid rover mission, and Sultan Al Neyadi’s first ever spacewalk by an Arab astronaut, the UAE continues to make a meaningful contribution to space exploration and advancements in science,” Sheikh Mohammed said in a tweet.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, praised Sultan AlNeyadi’s achievement on Friday. He tweeted: “After 3 years of intensive training, today we saw Sultan AlNeyadi on the first mission to walk in outer space, carrying out missions to install new parts and carry out maintenance on the International Space Station. He is the first Emirati, the first Arab, the first Muslim, to walk in outer space. We are proud of that.
They say that two-thirds of the stars in the sky bear Arabic names. Arabs are capable. Arabs are coming. Arabs are creative if we decide to focus on science and invest in youth. and stay away from differences.”
Rashid became the first Arab rover to enter lunar orbit, but on Tuesday it failed to reach the surface after the private spacecraft carrying it failed to touchdown on the Moon. Dr Al Neyadi arrived at the ISS on March 3 for a six-month mission – the Arab world’s first long duration space mission. He is now an experienced astronaut, having carried out many different assignments that range from fixing the station’s onboard toilet, completing science experiments, doing professional-level photography and now a successful spacewalk.
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