- Title: ISS crew with first ever Emirati astronaut says ready for launch
- Date: 30th August 2019
- Summary: STAR CITY, RUSSIA (AUGUST 30, 2019) (REUTERS) NASA ASTRONAUT JESSICA MEIR, ROSCOSMOS COSMONAUT OLEG SKRIPOCHKA AND UNITED ARAB EMIRATES' HAZZAA ALI ALMANSOORI WALKING TO TABLE WITH EXAMINATION PAPERS ISS CREW VARIOUS OF CREW MEMBERS SIGNING EXAMINATION PAPERS / MEDIA PEOPLE WITH SMARTPHONES ISS CREW WALKING VARIOUS OF ISS CREW SITTING ON STAIRS OF SOYUZ SIMULATOR U.S. FLAG AT MEIR'S SPACE SUIT (SOUNDBITE) (English) NASA ASTRONAUT, JESSICA MEIR, SAYING: "It's really an unbelievable opportunity to be training here, in the same place, where the very first human launched and we have such an amazing staff and team here that have prepared to this flight and we feel ready," ISS CREW (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED ARAB EMIRATES' ASTRONAUT, HAZZAA ALI ALMANSOORI, SAYING: "I will do a tour in Arabic. It will be the first Arabic tour on the board of the station. And through this, we be doing a lot of experiments and we will do a lot of outreach for our country, the United Arab Emirates, and for the whole Arab region." THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES FLAG AT ALI ALMANSOORI'S SPACE SUIT (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) UNITED ARAB EMIRATES' ASTRONAUT, HAZZAA ALI ALMANSOORI, SAYING: "We were here for one year. Thanks to the instructors and teachers who helped us here, we are ready to start now." ISS CREW ON STAIRS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) ROSCOSMOS COSMONAUT, OLEG SKRIPOCHKA, SAYING AS JOURNALIST ASKING ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH WORK OF CREW: "The examination committee had no questions for us. (JOURNALIST ASKING WHETHER THE COMMANDER HAD QUESTIONS TO THE CREW) (Everything was) amazing, there was mutual control and mutual assistance, (the crew) confirmed all their skills. Everything was great." VARIOUS OF CREW MEMBERS POSING FOR PHOTO MEDIA CREW ENTERING SOYUZ MODULE PHOTOGRAPHER VARIOUS OF SKRIPOCHKA NEAR ENTRANCE TO SOYUZ MODULE
- Embargoed: 13th September 2019 10:24
- Keywords: 61S crew Soyuz ISS pre-launch exams International Space Station ISS crew Jessica Meir Oleg Skripochka Hazzaa Ali Almansoori
- Location: STAR CITY, RUSSIA
- City: STAR CITY, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Science,Space Exploration
- Reuters ID: LVA001AUETPHJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Members of 61/62 International Space Station (ISS) expedition said they felt ready to start as they took their pre-launch exam on Friday (August 30).
Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and Hazzaa Ali Almansoori, an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates, proved their knowledge of space equipment in Star City ahead of their departure.
Hazzaa Ali Almansoori who is the first Emirati astronaut to visit the ISS said he would make a tour in Arabic, and also conduct medical experiments.
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir praised the opportunity to train in a historic center, where the first person to space, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, rehearsed his launch on April 12, 1961.
The crew is expected to blast off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 25 for 187 days-long mission at the ISS.
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