The base, called Mars Dune Alpha, is designed to simulate the challenges that will be faced by the first people on the actual planet
UAE’s own astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi may have thought fondly of his family and his mother’s cooking during Iftar on Sunday, as he continues his sojourn on board the International Space Station (ISS).
If he chooses to fast, he would be following the Greenwich Mean Time (which is used as the official time zone on the space station) as he sees 16 sunsets daily at the orbiting laboratory.
For years now, astronauts have intended to follow religious pursuits while undertaking extraterrestrial missions.
In June 1985 at the age of 28, Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, who is a Saudi prince and former Royal Saudi Air Force pilot, was aboard Discovery when it launched into space on Nasa mission STS-51G.
Prince Sultan spent Eid Al Fitr on the space shuttle that year, and penned his thoughts extensively about fulfilling his religious duties.
In 2007, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, a Malaysian astronaut, stayed on the ISS. At that time, the Islamic National Fatwa Council of Malaysia reportedly issued special guidelines for him and other future Muslim astronauts.
The council also said that though his flight coincided with Ramadan, he could postpone fasting until he returned to Earth, or he could fast in accordance with the time zone of the place from which he had launched. He was even relieved of the obligation to kneel while praying, which is a challenging task in microgravity.
During a January press conference, AlNeyadi said if he had the opportunity, he would love to treat his colleagues to the famous Emirati hospitality.
He said, “Six-months in space is a great privilege and a big responsibility. Throughout the six months we will experience special occasions like Ramadan and Eid. So, I will be in the category of a traveller (where) fasting is not mandatory if you are unwell.”
"In this context, anything that can jeopardize the mission or put any of the crew members in a difficult or risky position (can be excused)… in such a scenario… we are allowed to eat sufficient food to prevent a situation that can adversely affect our health due to lack of nutrition or hydration. Fasting during Ramadan is actually good for the body and if the occasion permits, I would love to share some UAE meals with my fellow crew members.”
Al Neyadi added at the news conference, “We’ll wait and see how it goes.”
Three days ago, the 41-year-old had shared a video from space showing the sunset and the Ramadan crescent in the dark skies, delighting residents back on Earth. AlNeyadi opened the video by greeting his followers and wishing them a blessed Ramadan.
ALSO READ:
The base, called Mars Dune Alpha, is designed to simulate the challenges that will be faced by the first people on the actual planet
Out of a pool of 4,305 applicants, Nora AlMatrooshi and Mohammad AlMulla were selected to undergo training at Nasa
Ingenuity logged 72 flights over three years, accumulating more than two hours of flight time, travelling 18km — more than 14 times farther than planned
It includes 180 days of research work across four phases with Emirati crew commencing participation in Phase 2
As part of the mission, UAE's space engineers will build a 10-tonne 'Crew and Science' airlock, the entry and exit point for astronauts on the Gateway
The agency's engineers are attempting to re-establish communications with Ingenuity
The rendezvous came about 37 hours after the Axiom quartet's Thursday evening lift-off in a rocketship from Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon makes Japan the fifth nation to achieve a soft landing