New images released by Nasa show for the first time UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi in a SpaceX astronaut suit, sitting inside a Crew Dragon capsule.
The former IT professional is preparing to go to the International Space Station for a six-month mission, with the launch scheduled for spring 2023 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
In the photos, Dr Al Neyadi, 41, is seen with his SpaceX Crew-6 mission colleagues, including mission specialist Andrey Fedyaev, pilot William Hoburg and commander Stephen Bowen.
The photos were taken during a training session at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
They are learning how to operate the capsule, which will blast off into space on top of a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre.
This is the UAE’s second mission to the space station and the Arab world’s first long-duration space mission.
Dr Al Neyadi served as a back-up astronaut on that first mission, training alongside Hazza Al Mansouri who made headlines around the world as the first Arab on the ISS and first Emirati in space.
Dr Al Neyadi's journey in the UAE’s space programme began in 2017, when he applied to become an astronaut.
He comes from an IT background, having served as a network security engineer for the armed forces for many years.
He holds a doctorate in information technology from Griffith University in Australia and a degree in electronics and communications engineering from the University of Brighton in England.
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
