PHOTOS: First female UAE astronaut conduct spacewalk training at NASA
Emirati astronauts Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammad Al Mulla are on track with their extensive training regimen, with both conducting spacewalk training at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas
First Emirati female astronaut Nora Al MatrooshiUAE astronauts Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammad Al Mulla conduct training at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, USA as part of the NASA Astronaut Candidate Class of 2021Al Matrooshi and Al Mulla are currently undergoing training in the depths of the massive facility, which spans 202 ft in length, 102 ft in width, and 40 ft in depth, to master intricate procedures necessary for space explorationThe NBL’s primary function is to prepare astronauts for space missions involving Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) or spacewalksNeutral buoyancy is a core part of this training, simulating the weightlessness experienced in space. The facility allows astronauts to become neutrally buoyant, allowing for the manipulation of large objects, similar to the conditions of microgravity in spaceSpacewalks are a cornerstone of both current and future space exploration missions, making the Emirati astronauts training at the NBL vital to their future role in space missionsAl Matrooshi and Al Mulla, who are part of the second batch of the UAE Astronaut Programme, was selected alongside 10 other NASA candidates from a pool of over 12,000 applicants for the 2021 class of astronaut candidatesBoth Emirati astronauts continue to display remarkable resilience and determination, reflecting the UAE’s ambitious vision for space exploration. They are set to graduate in early 2024, joining a select group of flight-eligible astronauts ready for space mission
