Why UAE astronaut Hazzaa AlMansoori felt like a ghost on International Space Station

Dubai - Hazzaa and reserve astronaut AlNeyadi address their first post-mission press conference in Dubai.

Emirati astronaut Hazzaa AlMansoori felt "detached" and "like a ghost" while he was in space as the microgravity relaxes the body.

Responding to a question posed by Khaleej Times about the health effects of his short-term flight, he said: "When you go to space, there are fluid shifts in your body, which is when blood rushes up to your upper body and to the head and causes headaches. Sometimes you'll have upset stomach that would make you want to vomit. But thank God that didn't happen to me because the full 10 days prior to my mission I spent my time on the rotating chair as it provokes your vestibular system."

"The headache was there for the first three days, which is normal. But the Russians had a rubber band that you tie around your leg and it'll reduce the blood rushing to your head."

Hazzaa and reserve astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi were addressing their first post-mission press conference in Dubai on Tuesday.

He said landing and post-mission health impacts on his body were greater due to the sudden gravitational force that hit the astronauts' bodies. "During landing, when I saw the screen it said four Gs (gravitational force), but it felt like seven or eight because there was too much pressure on my body. Your vestibular system feels disconnected (after landing) and it needs time to get used to gravity, so I couldn't walk for the first two days.

sarwat@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai