Sultan Al Neyadi gets his first haircut in space

Nasa colleague used special equipment to give UAE astronaut a trim

Nasa astronaut Frank Rubio gives UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi a haircut on board the International Space Station. Photo: MBRSC

UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has had his first haircut on board the International Space Station.

Dr Al Neyadi, 41, was long overdue for a trim, having arrived at the orbiting science laboratory nearly a month ago.

He has become the longest-serving Arab astronaut in space and has five months of his mission remaining.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre shared a photo on Wednesday of Dr Al Neyadi getting his new hairdo.

"The hair trimmer, used by Sultan's colleague Nasa astronaut Frank Rubio, has a suction device which prevents hair from floating and contaminating the microgravity environment aboard the ISS," the space centre said.

Since arriving at the station on March 3, Dr Al Neyadi has been multitasking, including science experiments, harvesting tomatoes and plumbing work.

He has been studying human heart tissue as part of research that could help scientists back on Earth devise therapy and medication that could prevent people from developing heart disease.

He was also the test subject of another experiment that will help researchers study astronauts' sleep quality in space.

Dr Al Neyadi wore a sleep monitoring headband for a full day last week and then transferred the data to the European Physiology Module laptop.

"The sleep monitoring technology investigates astronauts’ sleep quality by measuring duration, sleep stages, heart rate and the number of awakenings," Nasa said.

Sultan Al Neyadi's life on the International Space Station - in pictures

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  Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has released more images of his historic space walk from the International Space Station on social media. @Astro_Alneyadi twitter

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  On Friday, Dr Al Neyadi became the Arab world's first astronaut to make space walk when he joined US astronaut Steve Bowen on ISS maintenance. @Astro_Alneyadi twitter

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  Dr Al Neyadi spent more than six hours outside the space station. @Astro_Alneyadi twitter

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  Photos of Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi's space walk show him completing what Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, described as a 'remarkable' accomplishment. @Astro_Alneyadi twitter

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  Sultan Al Neyadi, UAE Astronaut showing water during his first ‘ A Call with Space’ video chat with the public held at Dubai Opera in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Nasa astronaut Frank Rubio gives UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi a haircut on board the International Space Station. Photo: MBRSC

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  Sultan Al Neyadi shares images of sandstorm in Sahara Desert from space

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  Sultan Al Neyadi shares images of sandstorm in Sahara Desert from space

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  Dr Sultan Al Neyadi shared a video showing Cairo from space. Image: Screengrab

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  Sultan Al Neyadi shows breathtaking views of the crescent moon from space.

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  Astronaut Koichi Wakata and Sultan Al Neyadi inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock. Nasa

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  Sultan Al Neyadi, UAE Astronaut during his first ‘ A Call with Space’ video chat with the public held at Dubai Opera in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Dr Al Neyadi carries out experiments at the Columbus laboratory. Photo: Sultan Al Neyadi@Twitter

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  UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi in the Japanese KIBO module of the ISS. Photo: MBRSC

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  UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has shared his first selfies taken from inside the International Space Station. Photo: Sultan Al Neyadi Twitter

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  The images were snapped in front of the cupola - an observatory on the station - that shows stunning views of the Earth. Photo: Sultan Al Neyadi Twitter

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  This photo provided by NASA shows Emerati astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi during an interview at the International Space Station on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. The first Arab astronaut assigned to a long spaceflight is still adjusting to life off the planet, five days after rocketing to the International Space Station. (NASA via AP)

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  Sultan Al Neyadi’s, UAE Astronaut, speaking from ISS to UAE leaders. photo: Video screen grab / Nasa

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  In this image from NASA TV, the four astronauts including United Arab Emirates' Sultan al-Neyadi, third left gather, during the welcoming ceremony, on the International Space Station, Friday, March 3, 2023. A new crew from the United States, Russia and United Arab Emirates has arrived at the International Space Station. The new arrivals include United Arab Emirates' Sultan al-Neyadi, the first astronaut from the Arab world who will spend an extended time in space. Al-Neyadi is only the second person from the UAE to rocket into orbit. (NASA TV via AP)