'100 people on ground for 1 in space': Top official reveals manpower for AlNeyadi's six-month-long ISS stint

Five months into Sultan AlNeyadi’s mission at the International Space Station (ISS), the head of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has revealed the immense amount of manpower that goes into keeping it running.

“With one person in space, you need about a 100 people on the ground,” said Salim AlMarri. “Especially for a long mission, it is a daily grind. It is like running a marathon, not a sprint. Whether it is managing the operations or dealing with Nasa and our partners, we have built a strong team with strong capabilities.”

The Director General of MBRSC was speaking to Khaleej Times at a special media roundtable event on Friday.

AlMarri said that the six-month long mission has taught the team a lot of lessons. “One of the things that we learnt is to pace ourselves,” he said. “The work doesn’t stop on weekends or weekdays. It is always on, so we have to have a good system in place to manage and support astronauts while they are in space.”

AlNeyadi’s stay at the ISS is in the the Arab world's longest space mission.

Future Plans

The strong team that the MBRSC has built up is now preparing to take charge of future projects. “Our operations team don’t just do just human space flight operations,” he said. “They do other missions as well. We want to make sure our astronauts are ready for the next missions.”

AlMarri said that the space centre is now on the lookout for future space missions for its astronauts. “We will be looking out for what the next missions are. Once we define those missions, we will select the right astronauts for them and train them.”

This comes as the next set of astronauts – the UAE’s first female astronaut Nora Al Matrooshi and her colleague Mohammed Al Mulla – have been continuing their training at Nasa's Johnson Space Centre in Houston in Texas since January last year. They are set to graduate next year.

“Once they finish their training, we will have different jobs for them,” said AlMarri. “Once we find the right mission, we will select the most capable astronaut of it.”

AlMarri said that Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan AlNeyadi’s space missions had had some lasting impacts, especially on the younger generation. “Now every other child wants to become and astronaut,” he said. “I want to advice youngsters who are dreaming of space to study engineering and work hard. Engineering, science, technology and mathematics are the pathway to becoming an astronaut.”

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