The 41-year-old UAE astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi will be the first Arab astronaut to spend six months in space. He claimed that it is not compulsory to fast during Ramadan when you are on a space mission. As this is travel or journey so indirectly one can skip fast in Ramadan. He will set off for the International Space Station (ISS) on February 26 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as a member of SpaceX Dragon Crew-6.
Asked at a press conference Wednesday how he will observe the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims typically fast from dawn to sunset, Neyadi said his situation falls under an exception.
What is NASA’s SpaceX Falcon 9 crew 6 launch date?
The launch of NASA’s SpaceX Falcon 9 crew 6 is going to be on Feb. 26, 2023, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A. Along with NASA’s Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, and Russia’s Andrey Fedyaev, Sultan al-Neyadi will fly to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission will be of 180 days.
Who will be in NASA’s SpaceX Falcon 9 crew 6?
There will be four members of the crew.
- Stephen Bowen from the United States will be acting as Spacecraft commander.
- Warren Hoburg also from the United States will be acting as the Pilot.
- Sultan Al Neyadi from the United Arab Emirates
- Andrey Fedyae from Russia will be acting as the First spaceflight.
Will Neyadi be fasting in Ramadan on ISS?
On Wednesday at Houston (Web Desk), Emirati astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi said that he won’t be fasting during Ramadan. He said so because a Muslim can skip fast during travel. Neyadi will be in the definition of a traveler. So it is not compulsory for him to fast even during Ramadan. He said:
“I’m in… the definition of a traveler, and we can actually breakfast,” Neyadi said. “It’s not compulsory.”
“Actually fasting is not compulsory if you’re… feeling not well,” he said.
“So in that regard, anything that can jeopardize the mission, or maybe put the crew members a risk, we’re actually allowed to eat sufficient food.”
The NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonauts were also asked about the ISS mission at the Johnson Space Center Wednesday whether any of the political tensions on Earth, over Ukraine for example, spilled over into space.
NASA’s Bowen, a veteran of three space shuttle missions says: “I’ve been working and training with cosmonauts for over 20 years now and it’s always been amazing,” Moreover, he said: “Once you get to space, it’s just one crew, one vehicle and we all have the same goal.”
The Russian cosmonaut said: “The life of people in space on the International Space Station is really setting a very good example for how people should be living on Earth,”.
Lastly just as a reminder, on February 26 all four of the astronauts will set off for ISS mission.
Published by: Sky Headlines