UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has asked people to explain a rare physics event that took place on the International Space Station.
He was seen spinning an iPad three times but on the last spin the device rotated in different directions as opposed to the constant movement on the first two occasions.
Dr Al Neyadi, 41, demonstrated the intermediate axis theorem in space, also known as the Dzhanibekov effect or the Tennis Racket Theorem, which was discovered by Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov on the MIR space station in 1985.
"This question is for the smart ones," he said in a video posted on his Twitter on Monday. "An object's movement is as shown in these three cases.
"Have you noticed that in the third case, the direction of movement kept on changing unlike the first two cases where the direction remained the same. Can you tell me why?"
The theory states that objects, except for ones that are circular and square, have two axes and when that object rotates, it spins in a stable condition.
But when the rotation happens around the intermediate axis, it is unstable, causing it to spin in a different direction than expected.
And when this is done in microgravity, the physics phenomenon is even more fascinating.
Dr Al Neyadi arrived on the ISS on March 3 for a six-month stay and has already begun some of the 219 science experiments assigned to him by Nasa and UAE universities.
He harvested tomatoes that were planted by a Nasa astronaut in December, as part of a botany investigation and also for crew consumption.
Fresh supplies are being sent on Wednesday on a SpaceX cargo resupply mission, which will deliver experiments, food and other items to the new astronauts on board.
There were 11 people on the ISS, but four departed this weekend and landed safely back on Earth.
Crew members include station commander Sergey Prokopyev, flight engineer Dmitri Petelin, both from Roscosmos, and Nasa flight engineer Frank Rubio.
They were supposed to return to Earth last month but the Soyuz spacecraft on which they had arrived suffered severe damage from a micrometeorite.
A replacement Soyuz was sent and will bring the astronauts back home in September.
This means the crew will complete a year in space and replacements will be sent as they return.
On May 12, four private astronauts, including two from Saudi Arabia, will travel to the ISS for a 10-day stay.
The Axiom-2 mission will lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
The Saudi astronauts are Ali Al Qarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, who is set to become the first Arab woman in space.
This will bring the number of Arabs in space together simultaneously to a record of three.
Sultan Al Neyadi's life on the International Space Station - in pictures
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
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Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
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Directed by: Pete Doctor
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The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
WOMAN AND CHILD
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Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
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F1 line ups in 2018
Mercedes-GP Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen; Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Force India Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez; Renault Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr; Williams Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa / Robert Kubica / Paul di Resta; McLaren Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne; Toro Rosso TBA; Haas F1 Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Sauber TBA
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
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Spider-Man: No Way Home
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Rating:*****
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Portugal v Chile, 7pm, today
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