History was made on Friday when his His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, made a 25-minute live call from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) to the International Space Station (ISS) and spoke to Hazzaa Al Mansouri the UAE’s first ever astronaut.
As the call connected and Hazza Al Mansouri appeared on the screen, the room burst into thunders of applause made by the students who were invited to attend the live-video call. Hazzaa Al Mansouri's microphone could be seen floating in zero gravity.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed during the call expressed the best wishes of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and applauded the efforts of Hazzaa Al Mansouri, and made a promise that the next aim is to reach Mars. Over the call, Hazzaa Al Mansouri shared his experience in space which he said is an "indescribable feeling.”
In the live call His Highness Sheikh Mohammed told Hazzaa Al Mansouri “The word impossible does not exist in our dictionary.” He continued, “You are the UAE’s pride. Many Emiratis will follow in your footsteps and continue to make the UAE’s dreams a reality. Everyone dreams. But we rise to the challenge and strive to realise our dreams. Our next goal is to reach Mars. My brother Mohammed bin Zayed and I firmly believe in our ability to achieve this goal. Some say this is impossible. But we say ‘impossible’ does not exist as long as there is a will."
When asked by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed how he felt after boarding the spacecraft at the start of the historic journey, Hazzaa Al Mansouri explained that he was overwhelmed with pride and joy at realising Sheikh Zayed's dream to bring scientists and space experts to the UAE. Hazzaa Al Mansouri also spoke about the moment when he saw Earth from space and identified the UAE on the planet and how proud he is to be the first person carrying the UAE flag into space. Hazzaa Al Mansouri said, "When we reached the outer space of the atmosphere, it was an indescribable feeling. The best feeling was when I saw Earth from Space. Unbelievable landscape. When I saw the UAE it was the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life.”