Hazza Al Mansoori, the first Emirati astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) on September 25, and Sultan Al Neyadi, the back-up astronaut, have successfully completed their final tests for the mission at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Moscow.
The tests included dealing with emergency situations, simulation of the Russian segment in ISS, the functional cargo block (FGB) mock-up, and data management system, as well as the Soyuz complex simulation, state news agency WAM reported on Monday.
The final tests included simulating a number of crew emergency situations during take-off, landing, and docking, while on board the ISS, in addition to dealing with the false operation of the landing sensor, propulsion system problems, interruption of contact, and increased CO2 while aboard the Soyuz spacecraft, it added.
Astronauts successfully passed the test of the failure of communications device, the oxygen supply system, power outages, the failure of fire detection systems, and how to deal with emergency situations.
Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, director general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), said: “We are proud of Al Mansoori and Al Neyadi’s success in the final tests, as it confirms that the Emirati people are worthy of the UAE’s wise leadership belief in their ability to succeed in facing challenges in different sectors and disciplines.
“Our mission is to ensure that the UAE Astronaut Programme is a sustainable one and we aim to train and prepare more Emirati astronauts to contribute to the enrichment of the Arab region, as well as the global scientific community.
“The ISS mission will pave the way for more human spaceflights by the UAE, which will significantly contribute to developing a future map to explore deep space,” added Al Shaibani.
Salem Al Marri, head of UAE Astronaut Programme, said: “These tests have confirmed their readiness for the mission and for emergency situations during the take-off and return trips, and aboard the ISS. The jury members applauded the professionalism, the solid theoretical knowledge, and practical skills, possessed by both the main and the back-up crew of the mission.”
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