Emiratis to leave Russian isolation pod after eight months of space travel research

An Emirati will step out into the world on July 3 after spending eight months in virtual isolation.

Saleh Al Ameri, 31, and his five colleagues have been conducting space travel research at a Russian factory since November 4.

The mechanical engineer participates in the Sirius 20/21 project, field tests that study the psychological and physiological effects of isolation by simulating deep space travel, also known as analog missions.

As more countries plan to send astronauts on missions to the Moon — and possibly Mars — these experiments are crucial to understanding human behavior on deep space missions.

Al Ameri will leave the NEK experimental complex in Moscow on Sunday to be greeted by officials from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) and the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

He will leave the habitat with his three Russian colleagues and two Americans.

They had no internet or social media access throughout the experiment, while contact with family was limited.

However, they maintained regular contact with “mission control” outside the complex.

“The biggest challenge for me, apart from the isolation, is the lack of information and communication with people in the outside world,” Mr Al Ameri said in a previous interview with The National.

“We don’t have internet or social media platforms here. If we want to know something, the only way is to ask the folks at Mission Control. To overcome these things, we try to keep ourselves busy.

Experiments using virtual reality headsets and simulators

It is hoped that the Arab world’s first analogue mission will boost the UAE’s space program as the country seeks to send an Emirati to the moon and advance its human research capability.

Mr. Al Ameri’s experiments include “going into space” using a virtual reality headset.

He also “piloted” a rover on the surface of the Moon to collect samples and transported them to a base using simulators and virtual reality.

He piloted a spacecraft simulator, docked it with the International Space Station and Lunar Gateway, and flew to orbit the Moon and Mars.

Researchers observed the behavior of the crew using cameras installed throughout the center to gauge how the astronauts might fare during long space journeys.

Living conditions

In January, Mr. Al Ameri took a video tour of his room and living conditions at the compound.

Her bedroom is a small space with a single bed against a wall, a two-door wardrobe and a small desk on which two laptops and medical equipment rest.

“I also hung a few objects on the wall that motivate me and give me psychological support, such as the MBRSC logo and the flag of the United Arab Emirates,” he said in an earlier video.

“They push me to give myself the best for the mission.”

Each participant has their own room but the factory also has a common room for socializing.

Why is the UAE participating?

MBRSC is building a Dh500 million ($136.1 million) Mars Science City in Dubai, which will have analog facilities.

It is hoped that this will help the UAE gain access to such missions and participants will be invited from all over the world.

Next year, the space center will participate in NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analogue (Hera) program.

Hera is a three-story habitat that replicates the isolation, confinement, and remoteness conditions encountered on space missions.

So far, it has featured six campaigns, each featuring four or five missions lasting from one to 45 days.

Updated: June 28, 2022, 05:12