Emirati astronaut<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2023/04/06/sultan-al-neyadi-to-perform-first-spacewalk-by-an-arab-astronaut/" target="_blank"> Dr Sultan Al Neyadi</a> has shared footage of Makkah from space as <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2023/04/13/a-closer-look-how-has-the-uae-embraced-the-spirit-of-ramadan-this-year/" target="_blank">Ramadan</a> draws to a close. Dr Al Neyadi, 41, who is aboard the International Space Station, called the footage "a gift for Salman's children on these blessed nights". The footage showed Makkah and Madinah lit up from various points, with the Grand Mosque shining bright in Makkah's centre. The astronaut has regularly paid tribute to the Gulf and UAE since embarking on his six-month mission in March, sharing footage of his home town Al Ain and the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/uae-in-space/2023/04/05/uae-astronaut-sultan-al-neyadi-shares-tour-of-arabian-peninsula-from-space/" target="_blank">Arabian Peninsula. </a> Taking pictures from space is one of his "favourite pastimes", Dr Al Neyadi said while sharing images of a <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/uae-in-space/2023/03/30/sultan-al-neyadi-shares-photos-of-sahara-sandstorm-from-space/" target="_blank">Sahara sandstorm </a>last month. "One of my favourite activities on the ISS is getting behind the lens for Earth observation, capturing breathtaking sights that can only be witnessed from space." Dr Al Neyadi has shared regular updates of his time aboard the ISS. Earlier on Monday, he tweeted a video as he prepared research samples to be sent to Earth. Laboratory freezers have been sent from space aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo mission, which returned to Florida on Saturday. "Working in space is fun even when everything wants to float away," Dr Al Neyadi told his followers. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/uae-in-space/2023/04/14/space-tomatoes-harvested-by-uae-astronaut-heading-back-to-earth-to-boost-research/" target="_blank">Tomatoes harvested in space</a> were among the cargo sent back to Earth at the weekend. Dr Al Neyadi grew the vegetables on the ISS, with Nasa hoping it could help to improve access to fresh food on Earth. He is expected to perform a spacewalk on April 28, the first ever Arab to do so, in a long mission with Nasa astronaut Stephen Bowen. The pair will venture out of the ISS to retrieve communication hardware.
