Former Nasa astronaut inspires Abu Dhabi students

Robert Curbeam was in Abu Dhabi on Monday where he spoke to about 450 pupils who attended Aldar Academies.

Former Nasa astronaut Robert Curbeam interacts with pupils at an Abu Dhabi school on Monday. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

ABU DHABI // Former Nasa astronaut Robert Curbeam has offered youngsters advice on how to follow in his footsteps.

Mr Curbeam, 53, who flew on both the Atlantis and Discovery space shuttle and was the first astronaut to complete four space walks in one mission, was in the capital on Monday where he spoke to about 450 pupils who attended Aldar Academies.

He told the youngsters that firstly, any aspiring astronaut must have a university degree in science, engineering, technology, medicine or maths.

Secondly, they must be in good shape as space men and women have to be fit enough to pass a rigorous physical examination.

Thirdly, excellent interpersonal skills were also required.

“Very few people have just the minimum requirements,” Mr Curbeam told the audience at Al Bateen Secondary School.

“If you really want to be an astronaut, the best advice I can give you is to get as much education as you can.

“Secondly, whatever you decide to do, make sure you love it because you’re going to need to be doing it better than everybody else.”

The ability to communicate with others was also important.

“You need to be able to work with other people because this is not something you can do by yourself,” Mr Curbeam said. “If you don’t know more than two foreign languages, learn them. The better you communicate, the farther you will go.”

Mr Curbeam was visiting the country in his capacity as vice president of mission assurance for US defence firm Raytheon, which is taking part in the Dubai Airshow.

He was invited to speak to the pupils about his experiences in space and the importance of studying science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects.

In his 13 years as a Nasa astronaut, Mr Curbeam took part on three space missions – each lasting about 12 to 13 days in orbit – and seven spacewalks. He was the first astronaut to complete four spacewalks in one mission.

“The one area where Stem education is critical is space exploration. But there are many others,” said Mr Curbeam.

“Stem educated people make the life we have now possible, they truly do, and I hope that people realise that the very lifestyle we live is a credit to the men and women in the Stem field.”

After showing the children a short video of his missions in space, Mr Curbeam was questioned about his day-to-day life aboard the shuttle.

“How does it feel to go into space?” one child asked.

“When you’re sitting in the launch pad and you launch, it feels like you’ve been rear-ended in a car by a truck,” said Mr Curbeam.

“The difference is, unlike being in a car accident, the truck just keeps pushing for eight and a half minutes.”

“Were you ever scared?” another asked.

“Ironically, no,” Mr Curbeam answered. “Usually, in the moment, you’re so busy working that you don’t think about being scared, you think about, ‘How do I fix it’.”

“Have you ever seen a UFO?” another asked, eliciting laughter from the children.

“I get that question all the time,” said Mr Curbeam. “So my question is not, well, is there life out there somewhere out in the universe? My question is how long will it be until we find it?”

Nilay Ozral, chief executive of Aldar Academies, said the pupils were “very much inspired” by Mr Curbeam’s presentation.

Sara Jibril, a British pupil in Year 11 at Al Bateen, said the opportunity to meet a former astronaut was “remarkable”.