UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has taken photos of India and Pakistan from the International Space Station (ISS).
For most of his mission so far he has been documenting Arab countries from the orbiting outpost but took time out last month to photograph the two South Asian nations.
On May 10, he photographed Lahore in Pakistan, also known as the City of Lights.
Five days later, he captured a night-time image of Lucknow in northern India.
Dr Al Neyadi arrived at the ISS on March 3 for a six-month stint – the first long-duration space mission by an Arab astronaut.
He has since made history as the first Arab astronaut to carry out a spacewalk, when he ventured outside the station for a seven-hour maintenance assignment.
He celebrated his 42nd birthday in space and was surprised with a cake by his colleagues.
Officials from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre on Saturday congratulated the astronaut on completing half of his six-month mission.
"Sultan's dedication to science has seen him make remarkable strides during this period," said Adnan Al Rais, mission manager of the UAE Astronaut Programme.
"With another three months ahead, we are eagerly waiting for more groundbreaking research projects.
"Paving the way for the future of UAE's space sector, this mission serves as a powerful catalyst, fuelling our drive towards unprecedented advancements in space exploration.”
About three million Indian and 1.5 million Pakistani citizens comprise the largest expat populations in the UAE.
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
