UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi shares a photo of his village taken from space

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has shared a photo of his village taken from space. The village of Umm Ghaffa is in Al Ain, which is about 190km from Abu Dhabi. Dr Al Neyadi, who was a member of the back-up team for the 2019 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), shared the photo on Twitter. "Everything started from Umm Ghaffa, my village. It was where I first observed the skies and stars, created memories that will forever be imprinted in my mind. It was also the place where the late Sheikh Zayed, envisioned the transformation of the UAE into an oasis of life," he tweeted. The photo was taken last year by Maj Hazza Al Mansouri, the country's first astronaut. Dr Al Neyadi played a crucial and selfless role in the UAE's first voyage to the stars, acting as an ever-reliable member of the back-up crew. Although he ended up staying on the ground as Maj Al Mansouri embarked on the eight-day odyssey on board the ISS in September 2019, he went through the same rigorous training regime as his colleague.