A week after reaching the International Space Station (ISS), Sultan AlNeyadi, UAE-based shared his very first selfies from space mere hours ago!
Donning a blue T-shirt that features the logo of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, AlNeyadi was smiling, as Earth posed behind him as the backdrop, reports The Khaleej Times.
From space, I salute earth. 🌍
I salute our homeland and its leaders. I salute all those who carried Zayed’s Ambition in their hearts and aim high to the sky.
The dream has come true and now we dream bigger. 🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/hkHa2zGKWm
— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi) March 8, 2023
In his Twitter post, he wrote, “Salute from space to Earth,” He further added, “The dream has come true and now we dream bigger, a reference to UAE’s dream to reach space. He thanked the leaders, and said, “I salute all those who carried the late Sheikh Zayed’s ambition in their hearts and aim high.”
في المرة المقبلة التي سأكلمكم بها سأكون بإذن الله على متن محطة الفضاء الدولية.. 🚀
سأكلمكم وعلى ذراعي علم الإمارات.. و في قلبي #طموح_زايد .. 🇦🇪
دعواتكم و إلى لقاءٍ قريب من الفضاء..
أخوكم سلطان النيادي pic.twitter.com/FusEJqeEnK
— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi) March 2, 2023
The selfie comes a day after AlNeyadi spoke with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
During the talk, he spoke of Sheikh Zayed, the late leader who dreamt of UAE’s space mission in the 1970s. Speaking about it, AlNeyadi noted how their journey started 50 years ago from the “desert without any capabilities”, but today UAE’s flag “has reached space and flies around Mars.”
AlNeyadi, also known as ‘Sultan of Space’, docked in ISS on March 3 with his crew of six. In the conversation, he revealed to Sheikh Mohammed that he still has to get used to microgravity, and how his schedule has been quite “hectic” since they reached. AlNeyadi also spoke to young students and answered their questions as well.
AlNeyadi will also work with the European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), along with NASA, to conduct 19 studies, including cardiovascular and immune system health, back pain, and technical demonstrations.
