Hazza Al Mansouri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hazzaa Al Mansoori
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AlMansoori in 2022
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| Born | 13 December 1983 Al Wathba, United Arab Emirates
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| Other names | Hazzaa Ali Abdan Khalfan AlMansoori هَزَّاع عَلِي عَبْدان خَلْفَان ٱلْمَنْصُوْرِي |
| Alma mater | Khalifa bin Zayed Air College |
| Space career | |
| MBRSC astronaut | |
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Current occupation
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Fighter pilot, astronaut |
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Time in space
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7 days, 21 hours,1 minute |
| Selection | MBRSC Group 1 (2018) |
| Missions | Soyuz MS-15/MS-12 (19th Visiting Expedition) |
Hazzaa AlMansoori (Arabic: هَزَّاع ٱلْمَنْصُوْرِي, romanized: Hazzāʿ Al-Manṣūrī) is an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He is famous for being the first person from the UAE to travel into space. In 2019, he flew on the UAE's first science mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This mission was called 'Zayed's Ambition'. It made the UAE the 19th country in the world, and the first in the Arab region, to send someone to the ISS.
Hazzaa AlMansoori also served as the back-up astronaut for Sultan Al Neyadi. Sultan Al Neyadi's mission was the longest space trip by an Arab astronaut. Before becoming an astronaut, Hazzaa was the youngest F-16 fighter pilot in the UAE. On September 25, 2019, he launched into space aboard the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft. He stayed on the International Space Station for eight days. He landed safely in Kazakhstan on October 3, 2019, aboard the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft. This completed the UAE's first astronaut mission.
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Hazzaa AlMansoori's Early Life and Training
Hazzaa AlMansoori was born on December 13, 1983, in Al Wathba, a suburb of Abu Dhabi. His family later moved to Al-Dhafra in western Abu Dhabi. When he was a child, Hazzaa loved to explore. He enjoyed watching stars and meteors in the dark desert nights of Liwa, where he spent much of his childhood. He dreamed of becoming a pilot and loved reading about airplanes and space travel.
After finishing high school, Hazzaa followed his passion for flying. He studied aviation at the Khalifa bin Zayed Air College. He graduated in 2004 and joined the armed forces. He quickly became one of the best military pilots. Because he was so good, he was chosen to become a special pilot for the F-16B60 aircraft.
He traveled to Arizona, USA, to train on this aircraft for three years. After returning to the UAE, he finished his training. Four years later, Hazzaa AlMansoori became the youngest military pilot to fly the F-16. He also became a pilot who could test and check aircraft. He was one of the first Arab and Emirati pilots to perform at the Dubai Air Show. He also flew in shows for UAE National Day in 2017 and the 50th anniversary of the UAE Air Force in 2018.
The UAE Astronaut Program
On December 6, 2017, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister, announced something exciting. He invited young Emiratis to sign up for the UAE Astronaut Program. This program was run by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre. Hazzaa AlMansoori was one of the first astronauts chosen for this program.
The program was started by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Its goal is to train Emirati astronauts and send them on scientific missions in space. Hazzaa AlMansoori was chosen from 4,022 people who applied. He went through many mental and physical tests in the UAE and other countries. His strong military background helped him a lot with the physical fitness tests. He had already done tough training to become an F-16B60 instructor pilot. He also took courses like water survival and training for high G-forces.
Hazzaa AlMansoori's Astronaut Journey
On September 3, 2018, Sheikh Mohammed announced the first astronauts for the International Space Station. They were Hazzaa AlMansoori and Sultan Al Neyadi. He said they represent all young Arabs and show the big dreams of the UAE.
As part of an agreement between the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Hazzaa trained in Russia. He trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. This training prepared him for the ISS mission. He also trained in Houston, Texas, and Cologne, Germany. These trainings were part of partnerships with other big space agencies like NASA and ESA.
In April 2019, the MBRSC announced that Hazzaa AlMansoori was chosen as the main astronaut for an eight-day mission to the International Space Station. Hazzaa was assigned to the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft. He flew with Russian commander Oleg Skripochka and American flight engineer Jessica Meir. They stayed on the ISS for a longer time. Hazzaa, however, returned to Earth eight days after launch. He came back on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft with Russian commander Aleksey Ovchinin and American flight engineer Nick Hague.
Hazzaa AlMansoori, Oleg Skripochka, and Jessica Meir launched on September 25, 2019. They took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The three spent less than six hours flying in space before docking with the Zvezda module on the ISS. After docking, they entered the station and met the six other crew members already there.
Hazzaa's training for the ISS mission was very thorough. He learned about all parts of the ISS and how to use its equipment. He practiced emergency fire drills and how to deal with low pressure or ammonia leaks. He also had survival training in case his capsule landed in a cold forest.
Hazzaa also trained to wear his spacesuit, which weighs about 10 kilograms, in zero gravity. He practiced daily tasks like preparing food, using cameras to record events, taking pictures of Earth, and talking with ground control. He completed over 90 courses, with more than 1,400 hours of training in total.
During Hazzaa's short mission, there were nine people on the ISS at one time. This was unusual. While on the ISS, Hazzaa AlMansoori did 15 experiments. These experiments were designed by UAE school students who won a "Science in Space" competition. He also did Earth observation experiments. He filmed the first-ever tour of the ISS in Arabic. He also became the first Middle Eastern person to be studied after spending time in microgravity.
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On October 3, 2019, Hazzaa AlMansoori, Aleksey Ovchinin, and Nick Hague boarded the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft. They undocked from the ISS and began their journey back to Earth. After about five hours of flying in space, they landed on the Kazakh Steppe. Hazzaa was then flown to Star City, Russia, before heading back to the UAE.
Hazzaa AlMansoori successfully finished his first year of training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in 2021. He is now ready to work as an operator on the International Space Station. He trained in a special pool called the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL). He also passed tests on using the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), which is a spacesuit for spacewalks. He learned about maintaining the ISS and rescuing an injured crew member. He also completed training on the T-38 jet aircraft.
What Hazzaa's Role Was Called
Because Hazzaa flew through an agreement between the UAE and Russian governments, his role on the Soyuz spacecraft and the ISS was called a "spaceflight participant" by Roscosmos and NASA. After his mission ended on October 3, 2019, NASA started calling him a "visiting astronaut." The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre calls his mission "UAE Astronaut Mission 1" or "Zayed's Ambition."
See also
In Spanish: Hazza Al Mansouri para niños
- Timeline of space travel by nationality
- Sultan Al Neyadi
- UAE Space Agency
