How the next Emirati astronauts will be selected

The process will also examine their physical, mental and psychological strengths.

The UAE's new batch of astronaut hopefuls will be undergoing a "rigorous selection process" that will go on till the end of the year, the astronaut programme chief told Khaleej Times.
Salem Al Maari, head of the UAE Astronaut Programme at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), said this process will examine their physical, mental and psychological strengths.
"We will be taking our candidates through various processes like the psychometric testing, psychological testing, and initial medical testing. There will be a lot of interviews that they will be going through-both online and personal interviews as well as detailed medical testing," he said.
"The plan is that we will select the best two after the final interview panel, closer to the beginning of next year."
Asked whether current social distancing measures will affect the process, he said: "With the UAE government's investment in the online infrastructure, I think we have all the tools available to pretty much do all of the work remotely. But, of course, meeting people and sitting with them in the same room can give a different element to assess. But if we are not able to have that element, then we will do it with the available technology," Al Maari said.
Technology, he said, will certainly play a key role in the selection process this year.
'Astronaut programme is here to stay'
The UAE Astronaut programme is here to stay, and the MBRSC will ensure that there would be a good core team of candidates who are trained and ready to take on human space flight missions.
"This is not a mission where you book a ticket in an airline -it is a mission that takes years of planning to achieve. So, you must have a team that is trained and ready to go," Al Marri said.
"Whenever the opportunities come up we should be able to seize them, that would be a great asset for us to have. Therefore, trained astronauts and astronauts who will be going on space missions in the future is the way forward for us."
In a message to all aspiring astronauts, the head of the programme said: "Never give up. If you've applied to this programme for the first time or if you've applied again and if you weren't selected, keep on applying. Don't give up. Always dream high. If you are not able to be an astronaut you can be an engineer who can build devices that astronauts use. Always aim big and work hard."
nandini@khaleejtimes.com 

• UAE