UAE confident in Russian spacecraft despite launch failure

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Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Nayadi with Salem Al Marri during the release of the book Race to Space at the Emirates Literature Festival in Dubai.—Photo by Neeraj Murali
Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Nayadi with Salem Al Marri during the release of the book Race to Space at the Emirates Literature Festival in Dubai.-Photo by Neeraj Murali

Dubai - The astronauts also stole the show during the first day of the Emirates LitFest, as they held a Q&A session with the audience.

By Sarwat Nasir

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Published: Sat 2 Mar 2019, 6:00 AM

Last updated: Sat 2 Mar 2019, 3:48 PM

Russia's Soyuz spacecraft explosion incident last October happened just an hour after the UAE had signed a contract with the Russian space agency to send the first Emirati to space via the same rocket.
A top official from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has described this incident as "one of the most challenging" parts of the UAE Astronaut Programme.
Salem Al Marri, assistant director-general for scientific and technical affairs at the MBRSC, was speaking at the first day of the Emirates Literature Festival. He was joined on stage by the UAE's first astronauts, Hazza Al Mansoori and Sultan Al Neyadi, who made their first public appearance there to launch the book "Race to Space".
The Soyuz MS-10 mission on October 11, 2018, had to make a ballistic re-entry into Earth as the boosters on the rocket failed to separate properly. Three crew members were on board and were able to land back safely.
"With this programme, we are now going to a very elite club. It's one of the most difficult things. Just getting a seat to get to the International Space Station is very complex. One challenge that we faced after we agreed with the Russian partners that we'll be taking a seat on the Soyuz rocket was that an about an hour later - unfortunately - that rocket exploded with two astronauts onboard. They came back safely because Soyuz is a very versatile capsule," Al Marri said.
"What happened after the launch was that the boosters had hit the rocket. The rocket exploded and they came back. In that one minute and half, they travelled about 500km away from the launch space. So, imagine, you've signed your contract and an hour later, you've seen that. So, that's a big challenge."
The initial launch date was on April 5 of this year on board the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft. Though, it was postponed to September 25 due to this accident.
However, the incident did not discourage or frighten Hazza and Sultan, who were training in Russia at the time the incident occurred.
Al Neyadi said: "After training in Russia, we know that we are training with a very reliable spacecraft. It has a very efficient launch escape system, which actually saved the crew that was onboard."
The astronauts stole the show during the first day of the Emirates LitFest, as they held a Q&A session with the audience, did a book signing - which saw long queues of children and adults and took photos with young aspiring astronauts.
'Race to Space' sheds light on the UAE Astronaut Programme, which was launched in December 2017. It shares stories on the selection process of the astronauts, different stages of selection, the challenges faced, why Hazza and Sultan were chosen, as well as details on their ongoing training in Russia's Star City.
Both of them have completed 50 percent of their astronaut training and the primary candidate - the one who will be the first Emirati to travel to space - will be announced this May.  The mission will be eight days long and will require the astronaut to carry out several different scientific experiments while at the International Space Station (ISS).
A few scientific experiments by UAE students will also be selected and taken to the ISS by the astronaut.
Some interesting Sessions to attend on March 2
>Giles Yeo: Gene Eating (10am-11am, Al Ras 2)
>The 2019 Montegrappa Prize (12pm-1pm, Al Ras 2)
>UAE - Discovery 101: Francesca Affleck & Roudha Al Marri (2pm-3pm, Al Baraha 1)
 Sue Nelson: Wally Funk's Race for Space (2pm-3pm, Al Ras 2)
>Kate Pankhurst: Fantastically Great Women (12pm-1pm, Al Ras 3)
>Peter Frankopan: The New Silk Roads (4pm-5pm, Al Ras 1)
>Cassandra Clare and Holly Black: Bringing The King and Queen Tour to Dubai! (4pm-5pm, Al Baraha 3)
>Lucy Siegle: Turning the Tide on Plastic (4pm-5pm, Al Baraha 1)
>Gerd Leonhard: Technology Versus Humanity (6pm-7pm, Al Ras 2)
>The Theory of Everything: Screening & Talk with Jane Hawking (7.30pm-10pm, Screen 4, Novo Cinemas, DFC)
>Jeff Kinney: The Wimpy Kid is Here! (6pm-7pm, Al Baraha 3)
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com
 


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