Alma mater congratulates UAE astronaut Sultan Al Niyadi

UAE astronauts Sultan Al Niyadi and Hazza Al Mansouri's achievements are "rare" and they have become an inspiration to the youth, the country's space leaders and educators have said.

The two Emiratis were chosen as the first batch of astronauts on Monday and one of them will head to the International Space Station in April.

Sultan Al Niyadi, a 37-year-old IT and engineering professional, has been congratulated by one of his alma maters, Brighton University in the UK, where he received his bachelor's degree (honours) in electronics and communications.

Prof. Debra Humphris, University of Brighton Vice-Chancellor, told Khaleej Times: "This is a wonderful achievement by Sultan Saif Muftah Hamad Al Niyadi and we are so proud of our graduate and will be watching his endeavours as an astronaut with great interest.

"This is a rare achievement and one that reflect a huge amount of dedication and hard work. On behalf of the community of the University of Brighton, I offer our congratulations and wish him and the UAE the best of luck for the flights into space."

Sam Davies, the university's director of philanthropy and alumni engagement, said: "We take great pride in the achievements of all of our graduates in their professional lives after they leave us and how they translate their academic knowledge to contribute to so many important issues. We very much congratulate Sultan on his selection."

Al Niyadi also holds a PhD in Data Leakage Prevention Technology from Griffith University, as well as a Master's degree in Information and Networks Security.
PhD Supervisor Associate Professor Vallipuram Muthukkumarasamy from Griffith's School of Information and Communication Technology, said Al Neyadi showed leadership skills during his time at the university.
"It's wonderful news, and I offer Sultan my best wishes for the exciting journey that awaits him. I'm certain that he will be a world-renowned professional in his field," he said. "When he finished his PhD in 2016 he walked into my office and said 'I know you don't accept any presents from students, but I'm no longer your student now', and he gave me a wonderful book on network security. And I asked him how and why he chose Griffith for his post-graduate studies. He said he had looked for network security programs and Griffith had stood out from the rest with what it offered in this field of study.
"Sultan was such a positive, interactive, passionate student with excellent personal qualities, great communication skills, and he was very pleasant all the time. He was very active within his study area, he always attended our weekly network security research group meetings where he showed good leadership skills and excellence in handling many different situations. Anyone who speaks with him will form a very good opinion of him and he'll no doubt be an excellent ambassador for Griffith University."
"He also showed great enthusiasm in learning the deeper concepts of network security. His PhD topic of Data Leakage Prevention is a relatively new one, and his publication on this topic has been highly cited and it demonstrates his mature thought processes."
Hazza Ali Abdan Khalfan Al Mansouri, 34, has 14 years of military aviation experience. He holds a bachelor's degree in Aviation Science and Military Aviation from the Khalifa bin Zayed Air College. He has completed training programmes both inside and outside the country, including advanced courses on rescuing people from drowning, rotation training, acceleration up to 9Gs and red flag exercises in the US.

In 2016, Al Mansouri qualified to be an aeronautical pilot and now pilots an F-16B60 aircraft.

The director-general of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, Yousuf Al Shaibani, thanked His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for his support to the UAE Astronaut Programme, which resulted in the selection of the first Emirati astronauts.

"This success would not have been possible without the support we received from the MBRSC's staff members, as well as the national strategies related to space exploration," he said.

Meanwhile, Salem Al Marri, the UAE Astronaut Programme Manager at MBRSC, said: "We have been working according to the vision and directives of our wise leadership from the beginning. This resulted in a programme that aligns with the aspirations of Emirati youth.

Our wise leadership is very confident in the capabilities of our youth. Today, we are proud to see the first batch of Emirati astronauts."

Support for the two astronauts also poured in on social media as the news of their selection went viral on Monday.

Raffi Tchakerian, an aerospace design professor in Dubai, tweeted: "Congratulations, this is an amazing step forward for UAE, but above all for the region. In the meanwhile, let's continue preparing UAE for Mars."

Noor Ullah tweeted: "Progress in science and technology is the only key to success."

Abdullah Al Khoori said on Twitter: "The UAE: the dream of all Arab countries - prosperity, progression, stability and effective leadership."

Meanwhile, Srikumar Menon tweeted: "Wishing the very best to both the selected astronauts and the UAE Space Programme. Many galaxies to conquer with a great leadership."

The astronauts are currently training in Russia and the one that will head to the International Space Centre will be announced "in a couple of months".
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com 

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