Gulf News

Astronauts train vigorously in Russia

Hazza and Sultan breeze through centrifuge test by spinning around at dizzying speed

- BY JANICE PONCE DE LEON Staff Reporter

What is it like to be placed in small chamber and spun around at a speed of 60 miles per hour (96.5km/h)? The UAE’s first astronauts, Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Niyadi, experience­d just that as part of their training in Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in preparatio­n for their April 5 space flight to the Internatio­nal Space Station.

In a video posted by the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) on Wednesday night, the two astronauts-in-training were shown undergoing the centrifuge test.

The centrifuge test is used to train fighter pilots and astronauts to cope with the high gravitatio­nal forces when their rocket manoeuvres or leaves the atmosphere.

The machine used for the test has a chamber where a person is strapped in a reclining position. This is connected to a centre via a long metal arm that spins so fast it’s capable of generating g-force for human use. While the trainees are being spun around, doctors and trainers monitor the changes taking place in their bodies to see how they react to accelerati­ve stress.

During the test, everything would feel heavy for the person, even his arms and head.

Those who can’t tolerate accelerati­ve stress may experience what is known as G-LOC or loss of consciousn­ess.

In the video, headshots of Al Mansouri and Al Niyadi showed how well their bodies fared during the test. Al Mansouri could be seen calmly controllin­g his breathing while Al Niyadi was shown taking the test in his stride. One of them flashed a thumbs up after the test.

On Thursday, the Dubai Media Office retweeted a photo of Al Niyadi sporting a space suit with the UAE flag patch on his left arm. The photo included American astronaut Jessica Meir, her Russian counterpar­t and their trainer.

 ?? Courtesy: Dubai Media Office ?? ■ Sultan Al Niyadi (left) with Jessica Meir (right), a Russian cosmonaut and their trainer at Yuri Gagarin Training Centre.
Courtesy: Dubai Media Office ■ Sultan Al Niyadi (left) with Jessica Meir (right), a Russian cosmonaut and their trainer at Yuri Gagarin Training Centre.

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