Noura Al Matroushi, who has dreamed of going to the moon since her childhood, has taken a step towards realizing her dream, as this week she became the first Arab woman to obtain the professional astronaut badge at the US Space Agency (NASA), after undergoing two years of intensive training.
Al Matrooshi, who was born in 1993, says that her passion began when one of her teachers conducted a simulation of a trip to the moon in her school class.
The students first entered what looked like a large tent, set up in the middle of the classroom to serve as a spaceship. When he got out, everything was covered in gray sheets, and the lights were off.
The young woman in her thirties says, “This day had an impact on me and was imprinted on my mind,” adding, “I remember that I was astonished, and I said to myself that I want to experience this in reality, and that I want to go to the surface of the moon, and from those moments it all began.”
Other Arab women have previously participated in space missions. In 2022, Egyptian Sarah Sabry participated in a mission for the private company Blue Origin, which allowed her to experience weightlessness for a few minutes. Last year, Saudi scientist Rayana Barnawi went to the International Space Station for several days as part of a special mission.
But Noura Al Matroushi, like her Emirati colleague Mohammed Al Mulla, participated over two years in an intensive training program alongside 10 other Americans, thanks to cooperation between NASA and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center.
This week, all of them officially became astronauts at a graduation party held by NASA in Houston, Texas.
Their training program included courses on how to survive, simulations of spacewalks in suits, and piloting supersonic aircraft. NASA intends to send astronauts to the moon within the “Artemis” program, and build a space station in orbit around the moon bearing the name “ Gateway.
Noura Al Matroushi, who holds a degree in mechanical engineering, says: “I want humanity to return to the moon, and go beyond the moon, and I want to be part of those missions.”
During the month of Ramadan, NASA postponed some exercises that require physical effort, either to early during the day or until the end of the month.
She added, “My religion made me realize the contribution of ancient Muslim intellectuals and scholars who preceded me and studied the stars.” She continues, “For me, becoming an astronaut is a way to build on this legacy, and on what they started thousands of years ago.”
• I want humanity to return to the moon, and go beyond the moon, and I want to be part of those missions.
• My religion made me realize the contribution of ancient Muslim intellectuals and scholars who preceded me and studied the stars.
2024-03-08 00:05:00
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