UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi said that the International Space Station is vulnerable to space debris, fires and gas leaks, but that he and his colleagues are trained to deal with such emergency situations.
He was speaking live on Thursday from the station with students of the Sharjah Academy of Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology.
It was one of many calls Dr Al Neyadi has been doing as part of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre’s outreach initiative, known as A Call from Space, in which he speaks to space enthusiasts, heads of state and pupils.
One of the students asked the astronaut how he would deal with emergency situations while on the station.
“Over time, we reach a specialised stage at the ISS, particularly in areas related to repairs and maintenance, such as my specialisation in the Columbus unit,” Dr Al Neyadi replied.
“We dedicate significant time to training specifically for this unit. For instance, the Columbus unit is susceptible to potential damage caused by space debris … but also faces the risk of fire and potential toxic gas leakage.
“The intricate network of devices and wires within the unit can be susceptible to fire-related incidents.
“However, as a highly trained team, we are well prepared to handle such situations.”
Columbus is the American module on the ISS that hosts Nasa astronauts and paying passengers.
Tracking progress
Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, attended the event and told Dr Al Neyadi that he was an inspiration to Arab youth.
"We take immense pride in having you present at the space station, representing us with excellence ... you are doing a remarkable job," he said.
"We closely follow all of your activities on board the space station, including scientific experiments, research endeavours and more.
"Personally, I make it a point to keep track of your progress and activities. I even take the opportunity to observe the space station whenever it passes over the skies of the UAE, occasionally capturing photos as a memento."
Dr Al Neyadi arrived at the ISS on March 3 to carry out the Arab world's longest space mission.
His six-month mission will soon come to an end when he and three of his colleagues in August return to Earth.
Dr Al Neyadi achieved many firsts on this mission, including becoming the first Arab to perform a spacewalk.
He ventured outside the station with Nasa colleague Stephen Bowen in April for a seven-hour maintenance assignment.
He is now an experienced astronaut, having carried out many different tasks in space that range from repair work, scientific investigations, communicating with mission control, doing professional-level photography and outreach activities.
In May, he welcomed two Saudi astronauts to the space station, which took the population of Arabs together in space to three.
Rayyanah Barnawi, who became the first Arab woman to go on a space mission, and Ali Al Qarni flew to the ISS for an eight-day stay.
Dr Al Neyadi welcomed them to the station with Arab hospitality, offering them dates and water when they entered through the airlock.
