Training:
As a part of her preparation for future space missions, AlMatrooshi began training with NASA’s 10-member Astronaut Candidate Class of 2021 at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, USA in 2022. The training covers five major categories over two years, including operating and maintaining the International Space Station’s (ISS) complex systems, training for spacewalks, developing complex robotics skills, safely operating a T-38 training jet, and learning Russian language skills.
AlMatrooshi also recently completed a series of training exercises, including survival training at Alabama’s Fort Novosel to mastering the art of suiting up at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.
She also visited the Marshall Space Flight Center, during which she had the opportunity to meet with Center’s leadership and learn more about the missions, programs, and projects at Marshall. She also went to the V20 Thermal Vacuum Chamber, that is currently being used to simulate lunar environments and plume surface interaction for landing scenario planning for the Moon. AlMatrooshi is set to graduate in early 2024 as a flight-eligible astronaut, potentially contributing to research aboard the ISS or undertaking other space missions.
