DUBAI: Emirati astronaut Hazzaa Al-Mansoori has become the first Arab citizen to be selected to the vital role of increment lead for an International Space Station (ISS) expedition, Arab media reported Saturday.
As part of his job as a lead, he will guide the ISS crew through every side of the space mission, highlighting the United Arab Emirates’ huge contribution to the sector of space exploration.
UAE’s Astronaut Al-Mansoori
Expedition 69 crews are set to carry out multiple experiments during their space mission, including probing the effects of microgravity on substantial combustion to further enhance spacecraft security and safety, testing a new tool for deep-space immune monitoring, and enhancing research on 3D-cultured cardiac muscle tissue to assess human cardiac function in microgravity.
DG of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center Salem Humaid Al-Marri said that expedition 69 represents the longest Arab astronomical mission and marks the first time an Arab citizen has been given the responsibility to lead. He maintained that Al-Mansoori’s appointment to this role is a testament to his exceptional knowledge and skills.
Al-Marri said they are very excited to see Hazzaa and Sultan collaborate to carry out ground-breaking experiments that will broaden their knowledge of space.
Al-Mansoori said that it is an honor for him to facilitate seamless information exchange between the ISS Expedition team and the astronauts’ office. He added that they aim to further advance human space exploration via their collective efforts to support expedition 69.
Expedition 69 crew aboard the ISS comprises astronauts Stephen Bowen, Al-Neyadi, Frank Rubio, Woody Hoburg, Dmitri Petelin, Sergey Prokopyev, and Andrey Fedyaev.
