KT live blog: UAE astronauts follow Russia's pre-launch space activities

Khaleej Times is reporting live from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, from today and until launch day.

Exactly on this day next week, the UAE will make history as the country's first Emirati astronaut Hazza Al Mansoori will rocket off into space.
September 25, 2019, is set to be a historic date for the nation as Al Mansoori will take the flag to the International Space Station (ISS), where no Arab has ever been before.
Khaleej Times is reporting live from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, where UAE's first astronaut Hazza Al Mansoori and his back up Sultan Al Neyadi are signing some last documentation to use Russia's Soyuz spacecraft on September 25.

Al Mansoori will be launching to the International Space Station at exactly 5.56pm, UAE time.
Khaleej Times has entered the Cosmonaut Hotel, where Al Mansoori and Al Neyadi are staying at under quarantine. We were required to undergo a medical test and wear safety outfits to get up close to the astronauts, where we documented their signing of the documents. Later they are going to be taking part in traditional sports activities and a tree-planting ceremony.
Here are the latest updates from Baikonur, Kazakhstan:

1:43pm

A tree has been planted by #UAE's first #astronaut @astro_hazzaa at the Cosmonaut Alley in Baikonur. The world's first man who went to space planted one here in 1961. (Video: Sarwat Nasir)

Follow our updates here from the launch city Baikonur, Kazakhstan. https://t.co/VK8FMCNuM8 pic.twitter.com/RNj5QyWgz6
- Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) September 18, 2019

1:05pm

UAE's first astronaut planting trees a week before his launch as part of Russia's space traditions.

11:48am

Watch: UAE astronauts take tilting table test. This test measures how the astronauts' bodies will adapt to blood flow in their brain when they are in micro-gravity.

#HappeningNow: The tilting table test. This test measures how the astronauts' bodies will adapt to blood flow in their brain when they are in microgravity. (Video: Sarwat Nasir)

Follow our updates here from the launch city Baikonur, Kazakhstan. https://t.co/VK8FMCNuM8 pic.twitter.com/SGATFxOy2n
- Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) September 18, 2019

11:30am

UAE astronauts take the rotating chair test, which is meant to ensure their bodies adapt to the feeling of motion sickness.

#HappeningNow: @astro_hazzaa and @Astro_Alneyadi take the rotating chair test, which is meant to ensure their bodies adapt to the feeling of motion sickness. (Video: Sarwat Nasir)

Follow our updates here from the launch city Baikonur, Kazakhstan. - https://t.co/VK8FMCNuM8 pic.twitter.com/PwD2ls5obY
- Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) September 18, 2019

11:09am

#HappeningNow: Doing final tests and agreements to use the #Soyuz.

Follow Khaleej Times updates here from the launch city Baikonur, Kazakhstan. https://t.co/VK8FMCNuM8@MBRSpaceCentre @Space_Station @astro_hazzaa

(KT video: Sarwat Nasir) pic.twitter.com/KhCDvSLAkG
- Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) September 18, 2019

10:30am

Here are the UAE astronauts doing some final documentation for the trip to space on September 25.

Wednesday, 9:30am

UAE astronaut launching in just 7 days! Khaleej Times is reporting live from Baikonur

• UAE