Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi practiced spacewalks and learnt how to repair the space station.

Entering the big league in space exploration has empowered UAE with confidence to be a frontrunner in the cosmic race for the Middle East, as its neighbours are also catching up with their own innovation. The country already in the Martian orbit and on its way to Venus, has also set eyes on creating its own set of future space scientists and astronauts, who will boost the countries ambitions, that include a city on the red planet.

The first astronauts to emerge from the local talent pool of the UAE, Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi, have also helped out in selecting the Emirati duo to join them. But while they've been assisting space research in the Middle East, Mansouri and Neyadi have also been training at NASA's facility in the US.

The cosmonauts have been undergoing rigorous exercises like completing six hour session underwater, and practicing space walks for the future. The two who have recently learnt how to operate a giant robotic arm that catches cargo vehicles, have also successfully handled a spacesuit called the Extravehicular Mobility unit.

Apart from that they also learnt how to repair damage at the space station and conduct rescue missions to help out crew members who cant move. They also wore heavy suits to practice how to walk in the cosmic environment, as part of a process to test their compatibility with the equipment.

Other than astronauts, UAE is also training students in the country by providing them opportunities to test software for space exploration on actual satellites. Virtual Reality is being used to allow pupils to catch a glimpse of Mars, and its climate.

As it gets closer to sending a robot to the moon, the UAE is about to dig deeper into asteroids that form a belt between Mars and Jupiter.