Butter lemon chicken will be the last meal UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi eats before he blasts off to the International Space Station on Monday.
Nasa and SpaceX have given the green light for the launch to go ahead at 10.45am GST, with the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon capsule systems looking normal and weather good.
Dr Al Neyadi, 41, and his three crew mates will lift-off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, and will dock with the ISS at 11.30am GST on Tuesday.
A pre-launch media teleconference was held on Sunday, where it scheduled the launch as a “go”.
Zeb Scoville, deputy chief flight director at Nasa, said that the crew's schedule for launch day has been fixed.
“Tomorrow they'll be waking up around 9.30am, having some time with family and enjoying a good lunch of butter lemon chicken before getting a little bit of rest and waking up and getting ready to go into space,” he said.
“So, the procedures are ready to go and the flight control team is ready to go.”
Dr Al Neyadi's family arrived in Florida on Saturday to witness him blast off into space.
His father, brother, cousins and friends greeted him from a distance at the Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex, as all astronauts need to isolate before a launch.
However, his children have approval from Nasa surgeons to be near him. He was seen hugging them during the family reunion.
Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati in space and the backup astronaut on this mission, has been documenting Dr Al Neyadi's quarantine, including taking video of him exercising.
Hours before launch, the crew will wear their SpaceX pressure suits and exit their quarantine quarters.
Their family members and selected press, including The National, will be outside to wave them goodbye before they get into their Teslas and head to the launch pad.
Elon Musk owns SpaceX and Tesla, so it is customary for all crew to ride the electric vehicle to the rocket.
Dr Al Neyadi said last Tuesday that flying on the mission will be a “privilege”.
“I can't believe that this is really happening and you only realise that when you fly by the launch pad where you see the preparations,” he said.
“It's becoming real. So, we can't thank enough everybody that helped and prepared us for this mission.
“I think we are ready physically, mentally and technically. And we can't wait to launch to space and conduct the mission.”
He will be carrying out 19 science experiments for various UAE universities, several other experiments assigned by Nasa and doing maintenance work on the ISS, including a possible spacewalk.
He is heading to space with two Nasa astronauts, Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
The mission will make Dr Al Neyadi the first Arab astronaut to carry out a long-duration space mission.
In May, he will be joined by two Saudi astronauts, including the first Arab woman in space. Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni are heading to the ISS for a 10-day trip.
The launch will be streamed live by SpaceX, Nasa and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.
The view from The National
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Structural%20weaknesses%20facing%20Israel%20economy
%3Cp%3E1.%20Labour%20productivity%20is%20lower%20than%20the%20average%20of%20the%20developed%20economies%2C%20particularly%20in%20the%20non-tradable%20industries.%3Cbr%3E2.%20The%20low%20level%20of%20basic%20skills%20among%20workers%20and%20the%20high%20level%20of%20inequality%20between%20those%20with%20various%20skills.%3Cbr%3E3.%20Low%20employment%20rates%2C%20particularly%20among%20Arab%20women%20and%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jewish%20men.%3Cbr%3E4.%20A%20lack%20of%20basic%20knowledge%20required%20for%20integration%20into%20the%20labour%20force%2C%20due%20to%20the%20lack%20of%20core%20curriculum%20studies%20in%20schools%20for%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jews.%3Cbr%3E5.%20A%20need%20to%20upgrade%20and%20expand%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20particularly%20mass%20transit%20infrastructure.%3Cbr%3E6.%20The%20poverty%20rate%20at%20more%20than%20double%20the%20OECD%20average.%3Cbr%3E7.%20Population%20growth%20of%20about%202%20per%20cent%20per%20year%2C%20compared%20to%200.6%20per%20cent%20OECD%20average%20posing%20challenge%20for%20fiscal%20policy%20and%20underpinning%20pressure%20on%20education%2C%20health%20care%2C%20welfare%20housing%20and%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20which%20will%20increase%20in%20the%20coming%20years.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
Price, base / as tested: Dh101,140 / Dh113,800
Engine: Turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 148hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 250Nm @ 2,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed CVT
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
