Dubai: Emirati astronauts Ms. Nora Al Matrooshi and Mr. Mohammad Al Mulla took part in spacewalk training for NASA’s 2021 astronaut candidate class training program at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston, Texas.
Following the recent series of demanding exercises, including survival training at Alabama’s Fort Novosel and a detailed orientation at the Marshall Space Flight Center in the USA, Ms. AlMatrooshi and Mr. AlMulla’s training in the NBL, the world’s largest indoor pool used for simulated spacewalk training, is a crucial phase on the way to completing her astronaut training.
The NBL’s primary function is to prepare astronauts for space missions involving Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) or spacewalks. Ms. Al Matrooshi and Mr. Al Mulla are currently undergoing training in the depths of the massive facility, which spans 202 feet in length, 102 feet in width, and 40 feet in depth, to master the intricate procedures necessary for space exploration.
Neutral buoyancy is a core part of this training, simulating the weightlessness experienced in space.
The facility allows astronauts to become neutrally buoyant, allowing for the manipulation of large objects, similar to the conditions of microgravity in space. The NBL currently provides the most accurate training medium for spacewalks on Earth.
Spacewalks are a cornerstone of both current and future space exploration missions, making the Emirati astronauts training at the NBL vital to their future role in space missions. The International Space Station, for example, requires hundreds of hours of spacewalks for assembly and maintenance.
Ms. Al Matrooshi and Mr. Al Mulla, who are part of the second batch of the UAE Astronaut Program, were selected alongside 10 other NASA candidates from a pool of over 12,000 applicants for the 2021 class of astronaut candidates.
Both Emirati astronauts continue to display remarkable resilience and determination, reflecting the UAE’s ambitious vision for space exploration. They are set to graduate in early 2024, joining a select group of flight-eligible astronauts ready for space missions.