We've got a UAE pilot and someone from engineering side: Al Marri

Dubai - Al Marri said that these two astronauts provide expertise from two different fields that are important for space travel.

The two astronauts "really impressed" the judges during the interview round of the selection process as they have a strong professional background, said Salem Al Marri, assistant director-general of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Al Marri said that these two astronauts provide expertise from two different fields that are important for space travel.

Al Marri provided some background information on Hazza Al Mansouri, 34, and Sultan Al Nayadi, 37, who are currently in Russia for training purposes.

"These gentlemen have been selected from over 4,000 candidates and they're going to be very special to the UAE. We were very impressed with them in their interview process. One of them is Al Mansoori and he is a military fighter pilot. The other one is Sultan and he has a PhD in internet security and he's more from the engineering side," Al Marri said.

"We've got a pilot and someone from the engineering side. From their capabilities, in terms of pressure and decision making, it is very high and we put it jointly with Nasa and other space agencies."

Al Marri revealed that both of the astronauts are from Abu Dhabi and are family men. Al Mansouri has four children and Al Neyadi has three children.

He said the primary astronaut who will head to the International Space Station (ISS) will be announced "in a couple of months".

In the meanwhile, both astronauts remain in Russia and are receiving training. They will be trained until the flight in April, 2019. Each astronaut will either be part of the primary crew or the backup crew.

"We will announce who will be the primary astronaut in a couple of months," Al Marri said. More astronauts for future missions will also be announced later on.

sarwat@khaleejtimes.com 

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