mobanmarketDubai: Hazzaa AlMansoori, the UAE’s first Emirati astronaut and hero, is back in his motherland.
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His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, received Hazzaa at the airport with top shaikhs, senior Emirati officials and children.
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Hazzaa arrived at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi on Saturday afternoon with Sultan AlNeyadi, reserve Emirati astronaut, and senior officials from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).
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On their meeting, Hazzaa presented a UAE flag. This presumably is the same flag that he raised on the ISS.
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Hazzaa’s children eagerly greeted their dad with a bouquet of flowers.
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Dozens of children sporting the iconic astronaut jumpsuit were also in queue to greet their astronaut.
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Hazzaa returned to Earth on October 3 after completing his eight-day mission on the International Space Station (ISS) as its first Emirati and Arab visitor.
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A hero’s welcome also awaited Hazzaa as he entered the terminal where senior officials lauded him for his achievement for the country.
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High spirit, strong resolve and determination
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Shaikh Mohamed congratulated Al Mansoori on his safe return to the UAE, after his successful mission to the ISS, praising his high spirit, strong resolve and determination, which he showed while performing all tasks assigned to him.
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“Hazzaa has reflected the bright image of the UAE and its people to the entire world and reaffirmed our country’s leadership and determination to participate in advancing the human development,” Shaikh Mohamed said.
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The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi praised Sultan Al Neyadi for his enthusiasm and sincerity in supporting his brother Hazzaa before and during the trip, stressing that working in a team spirit is the basis of success and excellence.
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He also thanked all members of the UAE team who contributed to conducting this mission and helped to achieve its goals and objectives, including engineers, technicians and others.
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Source of inspiration
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“The Emirati team has worked hand in hand and in one spirit to bring about one goal, bring glory to the UAE in the international arena.”
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Addressing the two Emirati astronauts, Sheikh Mohamed noted: “You are a role model for young people who we are proud of and trust in real and serious challenges.
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“You are today a model and good example for all UAE and Arab youth. The journey to the ISS will remain a source of inspiration and an incentive for the nation’s youth to genuinely work for the UAE’s progress.”
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“From the beginning and once the UAE space programme was developed, we insisted that Emiratis will be the ones who will implement this project. We have worked hard to prepare qualified and trained national cadres in this field, as our country’s ultimate goal is to participate actively in the space exploration and build a knowledge-based economy,” he added.
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Strong foundation
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Sheikh Mohamed affirmed that since its founding, the UAE believes that its people are the real fortune and are the best investment for the present and the future.
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“Hazzaa Al Mansoori, Sultan Al Neyadi and their brothers working in the UAE Space Programme are laying the strong foundations for towards achieving our ambitions and reaching the Mars.
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“I’m fully confident that Emiratis are capable of facing challenges and be successful in the space sector, as evidenced by what Hazzaa has done,” Shaikh Mohammad concluded.
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Mission highlights
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At a special forum arranged to celebrate their return, Hazzaa, Sultan and Salem Al Merri, Head of the UAE Astronaut Programme, shared the highlights of the mission with the crowd.
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“When we arrived home, I saw Zayed’s pride in the eyes of Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and on all your faces,” Hazzaa said in an emotional address, adding, he saw a “40-year-old dream coming true” when he returned to the #UAE.
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128 Earth orbits
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While on the ISS, Hazzaa made 128 orbits around the Earth and covered a distance of 4.9 million kilometres, according to Nasa. That’s equivalent to six return trips to the moon and back.
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Hazzaa stayed at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre (GCTC) in Star City, Moscow in Russia upon his return to finish all the medical tests needed as part of the experiments he conducted in space.
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Returning with Hazzaa is Hamad Obaid AlMansoori, Chairman of MBRSC; Yousuf Al Shaibani, Director-General of MBRSC, Salem Al Merri, Assistant Director-General of MBRSC and Head of the UAE Astronaut Programme; Saeed Karmustaji, Head of the Astronauts’ Office.
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Meanwhile, on the eve of his return, Hazzaa paid tribute to legendary cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the world’s first human to walk in space.
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Leonov passed away after a long battle with an illness. He was 85.
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On Twitter, Hazzaa said on Friday night: “Alexei Leonov, the first man to perform the spacewalk, left us today. His historical achievement will keep on inspiring new generations of ambitious astronauts.”
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Gratitude
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On Hazzaa’s return, Hamad AlMansoori, Chairman of MBRSC, expressed his gratitude to MBRSC’s counterparts in Roscosmos for their partnership in the mission.
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He said in a tweet in Saturday afternoon: “I would like to thank Dmitry Rogozin, Director-General of Roscosmos. Roscosmos for the strategic partnership with MBRSC that has been instrumental in training the first Emirati astronauts,” AlMansoori said.
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“Their contribution has facilitated the successful mission of Hazzaa AlMansoori to the International Space Station, and contributed in further developing the UAE’s space sector.”
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Milestones of Hazzaa’s eight days in space:
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