More than three thousand applications from candidates for the first national cosmonaut squad were selected in the UAE.
Registration for participation in the program of the first cosmonauts from the UAE officially closes on March 31.
More than three thousand applicants will have to undergo a series of medical and psychometric examinations. Only four of them will be selected at the end of this year and after two years of training will fly into space - becoming the first astronauts among UAE citizens.
The Mohammed Ibn Rashid Space Center held an introductory seminar for more than 200 potential candidates, mostly civil servants, aspiring to become astronauts.
Ahmed Al Ali, the captain of the Boeing 777 with 8,000 flight hours, is one of the potential candidates for the program. Ali hopes that he will become one of the four UAE astronauts who will fly into space.
Ali has been a pilot for 12 years. According to him, he wants to become an astronaut in order to "save humanity" and find a "spare planet" on which to live.
“I flew 8,000 hours — it's almost a year in half-space above planet Earth,” said 35-year-old Ali.
"I don’t want to set records, I don’t even want to become the first UAE citizen to go into space. My goal is to save humanity. If we remain the only planet, we are doomed to extinction. Like the plane has a backup engine, humanity must to be a spare planet.
Prior to the program, Ali tried to apply to NASA, however, was rejected because NASA only accepts US citizens.
"I want to devote my life to this for the benefit of the UAE and all people. I am ready to make any sacrifices in order to benefit humanity and give it a chance to survive on another planet," Ali said.
