Salon in space: UAE astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi gets haircut from crewmate on ISS

Salon in space: UAE astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi gets haircut from crewmate on ISS

Extensive research has been done about hair growth and wash in space

Published: Wed 29 Mar 2023, 2:59 PM Last updated: Wed 29 Mar 2023, 4:14 PM

After almost four weeks in space, UAE astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi had his first haircut aboard the International Space Station (ISS), given by his crewmate Nasa astronaut Frank Rubio, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has tweeted on Wednesday.

In the photo, AlNeyadi, wearing green shirt, is seen seated relaxed while Rubio is focused in doing the haircut using a trimmer that has a suction device which prevents hair from floating and contaminating the microgravity environment aboard the ISS.

The reason for the vacuum is to make sure loose hairs don't float around the orbiting space station. According to Nasa, loose hair can clog filters and affect air circulation and filtration. Floating hairs can also create a safety hazard because they can be inhaled or irritate an astronauts' eyes.

Astronauts like AlNeyadi, who are on a long-duration space mission, do require haircuts. This is why a set of clippers can be found on the ISS. The set is attached to a vacuum device that sucks up trimmed hairs, so that they don’t fly all over the space station.

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