A flight to Arab glory
Major Hazzaa AlMansoori made history yesterday by becoming the first Emirati in space and the first Arab astronaut to travel to the International Space Station. After months of gruelling training, AlMansoori - a 35-yearold former military pilot - blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in a Russian Soyuz-MS 15 spacecraft.
Rising on a column of fire and smoke, the UAE’s first astronaut headed to the International Space Station and a new chapter in the country’s history last night. At exactly 5.57pm UAE time, all 20 main engines of the SoyuzFG rocket ignited to deliver one million pounds of thrust and lift mission MS-15 clear of the launch pad at Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A huge ball of orange flame erupted from the launch pad and grew in size as a wall of sound washed over the stunned spectators.
The rocket rose quickly, a fireball against the dusk. As it climbed through the clouds it illuminated them with light, leaving a trail of smoke curving behind it. Even 40 kilometres up, the path of Soyuz was visible from the ground, As the boosters shut down and separated, four distinct trails of white smoke could be seen descending.
It was a flawless launch that ended nine minutes later when the engines of the third stage cut, putting Hazza into orbit and on his way for a rendezvous with the space station nearly six hours later.
On the ground, spectators erupted with spontaneous applause. In the process, the air force pilot became the first Emirati to pass the 100km Karmen line that marks the official edge of space, and to experience the weightlessness of zero gravity. Below him, the blue and white of our planet passed silently, with the Sun rising and setting every 90 minutes as the craft completed the first of four orbits in its journey.
“It’s a great moment for the whole country, for the whole Arab region,” his teammate and reserve astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi told The National in Baikonur. “He’s there for a mission, to raise the UAE flag on board the station and achieve Zayed’s ambition, our late leader. “After eight days I’ll be looking forward to seeing him back on Earth. I can’t wait to see him.” Maj Al Mansouri’s day had begun almost 12 hours earlier with a farewell to his wife and four children at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur City.
It was a short walk to the waiting bus where his children captured the hearts of the crowd as they pressed their hands to their father’s through the glass window. Crew members have been in quarantine for two weeks to avoid sickness. It was then a 30-minute drive to the launch centre surrounded by the empty desert scrub of Kazakhstan.
Ground staff helped them into their space suits, attaching the helmets and fitting their gloves. Maj Al Mansouri opted to keep his wedding ring on as the gloves were fitted.
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