Space Class taught by the First UAE Astronaut in Kibo

Mr. Hazzaa Ali Almansoori, the first United Arab Emirates (UAE) Astronaut, gave an educational lecture from Kibo module of International Space Station using JAXA's Internal Robot Camera (Int-Ball) on September 30, 2019. The event was streamed live on internet, with connecting JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center where students of UAE visited, and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) where public viewing was established. At the end of the live event, His Excellency the Ambassador of UAE, Mr. Khaled Omran Sqait Sarhan AlAmeri and JAXA vice president, Dr. Koichi WAKATA made a speech for this memorial collaboration between two countries.

This JAXA-MBRSC joint project was carried out based on the agreement between JAXA and UAE Space Agency.

Astronaut Ali Almansoori explained the principal of attitude control of space craft with using Int-Ball. At first, he showed Int-Ball being stable under microgravity as an example of attitude stability. In association with it, he explained the principal of attitude control with rotation of gyroscope. Then, he performed pedaling action and demonstrated how his body reacts under microgravity.

Finally, he quizzed the students at MBRSC, 'which direction should the reaction wheel inside Int-Ball to be rolled if rotate Int-Ball upward?'. The answer from MBRSC was delivered to JAXA Astronaut Satoshi FURUKAWA who acted as MC on the ground at Tsukuba Space Center in advance, then directed the Kibo flight controller who controls Int-Ball. When Int-Ball rotated upward, and the answer was proved right. MBRSC was filled with joy.

The UAE students at JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center questioned Astronaut Ali Almansoori about the space robot in ISS, and he replied.

In addition, in order for the students to further understand the experiment on the Kibo prior to the educational mission in space, JAXA and MBRSC cooperatively held seminars on space robot technologies and the attitude control technology of a spacecraft, geared towards UAE students on September 9 and 10 in the University of Dubai and Khalifa University respectively. The JAXA specialists: Mr. Shinobu DOI, Mr. Fumiaki TANIGAKI, and Mr. Shuhei SHIGETO gave lectures for students.

Reference

[Press Release] Cooperation between JAXA and MBRSC in the educational project on the Japanese Experiment Module, Kibo (September 6, 2019)