Nora Al Matrooshi, the Arab world’s first female astronaut, has encouraged young people to "never give up", after revealing she was rejected by the nation’s space programme in 2018.
The 28-year-old was speaking on the first day of the Space Week at Expo 2020 Dubai. American and Japanese astronauts were also in attendance.
Ms Al Matrooshi, who has a background in mechanical engineering, became part of the nation’s astronaut corps earlier this year, along with Dubai Police helicopter pilot Mohammed Al Mulla.
“I actually did apply to the first batch, but unfortunately I didn’t make it. The second batch was my second chance. It was my opportunity to achieve the dream that I wanted since I was a child,” she said.
“I’m sure you know how powerful the imagination of a child is and that power inspired me to want to become an astronaut. As I grew up, that dream started to build and I started to think how I can do it.
“I did some research and what I needed to do. At that time in the UAE, there was no astronaut programme, but children tend not to look at boundaries, they believe all is achievable.
"So, on December 6, 2019, it was announced that the UAE was looking for the second batch of astronauts.”
Hazza Al Mansouri became the first Emirati in space in 2019, after flying to the International Space Station on a Russian rocket for an eight-day trip. Sultan Al Neyadi was his backup.
Both of them have completed their year-long training at Nasa’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston this month.
Ms Al Matrooshi and Mr Al Mulla will begin their training in Houston in January, including learning the Russian language, learning how to perform spacewalks and mastering the systems of the space station.
Ms Al Matrooshi also revealed some of the challenges she faced during the selection process.
“First, there were the online interviews. I think I got a bit unlucky on that part because the cameras were not working for the people interviewing me, so it was a bit awkward talking to a blank screen,” she said.
The second part involved general and advanced medical tests, where the candidates underwent colour blindness examinations and scans where Ms Al Matrooshi said she could hear blood pumping through her jugular vein.
“That was really interesting and very weird to hear at the same time,” she said.
The final interviews were her “favourite part” because she met Emirati and Nasa astronauts.
She said she was unaware that Maj Al Mansouri, Dr Al Neyadi, and US astronauts Jessica Meir and Anne McClain would interview her.
“I was star struck at that point because I really wanted to become like the astronauts in front of me," Ms Al Matrooshi said.
"I never thought that I'd actually get to meet them that soon.
"I couldn’t stop smiling throughout the interview."
After the interviews and fitness examinations, the two newest members of the UAE’s astronaut corps were finally selected.
“I was ecstatic. This was a dream I had since I was 5 or 6-years-old," Ms Al Matrooshi said.
"The team grew from two to four and all of us come from different backgrounds and all of us had different journeys, but we all managed to reach this point in our careers."
It is unclear when Ms Al Matrooshi will fly to space, but after she and Mr Mulla complete their 30-month training at Nasa, they would qualify for future missions.
If selected, the astronaut would have to complete mission-specific training, which could stretch up to a year.
Fixtures
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The%C2%A0specs%20
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