MBRSC announces commencement of new phase of 2nd analog study with Emirati crew member

MBRSC announces commencement of new phase of 2nd analog study with Emirati crew member

· Shareef AlRomaithi entered the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in the USA at 2 AM (UAE time) on Saturday

· AlRomaithi was joined by Jason Lee, Stephanie Navarro, and Piyumi Wijesekara, to participate in phase two of the analog study, lasting 45 days

· The mission aims to study in-depth the effect of space flight simulated on Earth to support future long-duration space endeavours

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) today announced the commencement of phase two of the second analog study under the UAE Analog Programme, with Emirati crew member Shareef AlRomaithi entering the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, USA at 2 AM (UAE time) on Saturday.

AlRomaithi was joined by his fellow primary crew members Jason Lee, Stephanie Navarro, and Piyumi Wijesekara, as they embarked on the 45-day mission within the HERA facility. The alternate crew members for this mission are Jose Baca and Brandon Kent. The unique three-story habitat simulates space-like conditions on Earth, designed to study how crew members adapt to isolation, confinement, and remote conditions similar to those they would face on long-duration space missions.

Throughout their simulated journey in HERA,