A picture of Sheikh Zayed meeting American Apollo astronauts in the 1970s inspired UAE pilot Hazzaa AlMansoori to become an astronaut –the UAE’s first. Upon his return to Earth, and after working alongside NASA colleagues aboard the International Space Station, AlMansoori recreated the famous photo nearly 50 years later with the founding father’s son HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. The five decades-old photo represents the very beginning of UAE-US space cooperation that is in full force today. UAE astronauts Hazzaa AlMansoori and Sultan AlNeyadi continue their training side-by-side with American peers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. They are joined by the next class of UAE astronauts, including Mohammad AlMulla and Nora AlMatrooshi, the first woman from the UAE and the larger Arab world to be named an astronaut-candidate. Astronauts Hazzaa and Sultan give a glimpse into the welcome they received and training regimen in the States and their aspirations for the future of UAE-US space cooperation.
