Obaid AlSuwaidi, a captain engineer at the UAE Ministry of Defense, has been selected to join the primary crew at NASA to “walk” on Mars. The 45-day Mars simulation will take place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in November.
NASA utilizes hyper-realistic simulator programs to acquaint astronauts and researchers with different conditions experienced in deep space. This particular experiment will replicate a Mars landing to prepare NASA’s research team and crew for “real-life scenarios in the safety of a simulated environment,” according to NASA. UAE’s AlSuwaidi will be accompanied by Kristen Magas, Tiffany Snyder, and Anderson Wilder on the 45-day mission within the 650-square-foot Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) facility in Houston. This Analog mission falls under NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) Campaign 7 Mission 4.
Kristen Magas, Anderson Wilder, Obaid Alsuwaidi and Tiffany Snyder. Image Credits: C7M4 Crew/NASA
Obaid AlSuwaidi, the NASA-entrusted UAE engineerÂ
AlSuwaid serves as a valuable asset at the UAE Ministry of Defense. At the Ministry, he leverages his qualifications in civil and marine engineering to cultivate a robust team of prefessinals to address the UAE’s defense requirements.
This year, AlSuwaidi is part of the fourth group of volunteers involved in an analog study at HERA. The first phase of the UAE Analog Program’s second analog study was completed on March 11, 2024, with the second and third phases due for June 25, 2024, and September 23, 2024, respectively.
“We are pleased to announce the selection of Obaid AlSuwaidi for the next phase of the second analog study under the UAE Analog Programme. His involvement in this mission, in collaboration with NASA, strengthens our scientific foundation in addressing the human factors of long-duration spaceflight,” said Adnan AlRais, Assistant Director General, Space Operations and Exploration Sector, MBRSC.
NASA is gearing up to send astronauts to Mars in the next decade. Analog programs such as these prepare NASA’s talent for unpredictable conditions they are likely to encounter in Martian territory. The four-person crew will attempt to cultivate crops and shrimps and practice spacewalks. The engineers on board will also simulate communication lapses with mission control, a routine practice for real-life astronauts who will travel to Mars.
