Hazza Al Mansouri's mission to International Space Station last month marked a lot of firsts for the UAE and for the space sector as a whole. The former military pilot became the first Emirati in space, the first to hold a dinner featuring traditional local food and the first to give a tour of the ISS in Arabic. The ISS is made up of many modules, some are research laboratories, others are cargo storage or living spaces. Different modules are run by different space agencies, such as the Japanese Experiment Module - known as Kibo - which was developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) as a science module. Maj Al Mansouri's tour began in the astronauts' living quarters, where any spare time is spent and astronauts can get ready for the day ahead. The Emirati then showed off one of the laboratories where most of the scientific experiments are carried out and demonstrated how astronauts maintain their physical fitness while onboard the ISS. Next, he showed the Airlock, the area from where astronauts perform space walks and where astronauts carry out maintenance work for the station. He then went to Nod 3, a training room where astronauts apply pressure to their bodies to stop their muscles from atrophying, the storage room, and demonstrated how astronauts sleep in the microgravity environment. He gave a tour of the kitchen, where astronauts prepare and eat their food, and the main commander control unit, where astronauts control the station and any incoming cargo. Maj Al Mansouri spent eight days on the ISS, where he carried out experiments and held several live Q&A sessions with students. He returned to Earth on October 3.
