UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has spent the past week doing repairs to the bathroom on the International Space Station and acted as a test subject for a heart health study.
It is the third week on board the orbiting science laboratory for the Emirati astronaut, who is the first Arab astronaut to go on a long-duration space mission.
He has had a busy schedule since arriving at the ISS on March 3 for a six-month stay, including doing maintenance work, filming content and conducting live video calls with pupils as part of an education campaign.
"Nasa flight engineer Frank Rubio and flight engineer Sultan Al Neyadi from the UAE were tasked with removing and replacing a toilet," Nasa said in a statement on March 15.
"Al Neyadi also repaired damages to paint on a stall wall."
Astronauts have numerous roles on the ISS, such as carrying out experiments for scientists on the ground, maintaining the laboratory, botany work, spacewalks to repair or install new equipment on the exterior of the station and professional-level photography.
It is going to be no different for Dr Al Neyadi, who has already been taking part in activities that range from complex science investigations to repairing equipment.
On March 16, he had to work on the space station's bathroom again.
"Al Neyadi replaced components in the station’s bathroom, also known as the Waste and Hygiene Compartment, before performing a functionality test," Nasa said.
The space station has a $23 million toilet that was installed in 2020, making it the most expensive one yet assembled.
The titanium toilet has a new design and shape and is meant to be more accommodating for women.
Dr Al Neyadi spent the day on Monday wearing a bio-monitor garment ― a device that measures a person's physiological parameters ― and headband.
"The instrument is equipped with sensors to measure physiological parameters to assess the effect of space travel on heart health," Nasa said.
He also worked with his American colleagues to install ice bricks into the station's freezer for temperature conditioning.
The cold storage unit is called the Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory for ISS (Melfi) and helps preserve biological samples that are being used for experiments, such as blood, saliva, urine, microbial matter or plants.
Fresh supplies, including experiments and food, arrived on the station on March 14.
The astronauts transferred all of the cargo from the Dragon spacecraft into the ISS.
There are seven astronauts on board the station ― three Americans, three Russians and one Emirati.
Four astronauts, including two Americans and two Saudis, will fly to the ISS on May 12 as part of a privately-led mission by Axiom Space.
They will spend 10 days there, carrying out 20 science experiments.
It means there will be three Arabs in space together at the same time ― a record number.
The biog
Favourite film: The Notebook
Favourite book: What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey
Favourite quote: “Social equality is the only basis of human happiness” Nelson Madela. Hometown: Emmen, The Netherlands
Favourite activities: Walking on the beach, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends
Job: Founder and Managing Director of Mawaheb from Beautiful Peopl
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FOOTBALL TEST
Team X 1 Team Y 0
Scorers
Red card
Man of the Match
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
