A Closer Look is The National's show where we take an in-depth look at one of the main stories of the week.
Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi is only days away from etching his name in the history books as he prepares to blast off for a six-month mission on the International Space Station.
Dr Al Neyadi, 41, is part of Nasa and SpaceX’s Crew-6 flight, scheduled to take off on February 26 from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
It will be the Arab world’s first long-duration journey through space and another major milestone for the UAE's booming space programme, which has its sights firmly set on Mars, the Moon, Jupiter and beyond.
The National's space reporter Sarwat Nasir speaks to host Sarah Forster about the challenges which lie ahead for Dr Al Neyadi and the significance of his achievement for the nation.
Read more
UAE's Sultan Al Neyadi 'ready for space mission but will miss family'
Meet UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi and his SpaceX Crew-6 mission colleagues
Sultan Al Neyadi — in pictures
-
UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi at a Nasa press conference. Photo: Nasa -
Dr Al Neyadi and his SpaceX/Nasa Crew-6 colleagues speak at a press conference in Houston. Photo: Nasa -
Dr Al Neyadi (R) in a Dragon capsule during a training session. Photo: Nasa / SpaceX -
(L-R) Mission specialist Andrey Fedyaev, pilot William Hoburg, commander Stephen Bowen and Dr Al Neyadi. Photo: Nasa / SpaceX -
Dr Al Neyadi (R) with colleagues who are part of the SpaceX Crew-6 mission. Photo: Nasa / SpaceX -
Dr Al Neyadi training inside a Dragon mock-up crew vehicle at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Photo: Nasa / SpaceX -
Dr Al Neyadi training. Photo: Nasa / SpaceX -
Dr Al Neyadi training in a centrifuge, a robotic machine that simulates gravitational forces. Photo: Sultan Al Neyadi Twitter -
The SpaceX Crew-6 team. Photo: Nasa / SpaceX -
At the launch site in Florida. Photo: Nasa / SpaceX -
Pointers for success from Dr Al Neyadi, with Mr Fedyaev. Photo: Nasa / SpaceX
