Noora AlMatrooshi, the first woman from the UAE to become an astronaut, wants to put the UAE flag on the moon. She recently talked to students at the American Academy for Girls in Dubai about her hopes to encourage young Emiratis to go into space work.

AlMatrooshi said that men are no longer the only ones who can explore space, pointing out that women are playing bigger parts in the field. She wants to get girls involved in the UAE space program and other programs that are out there. She wants to tell them that the leaders of the country give them many chances to grow.

AlMatrooshi wants to go to the moon, but she also wants to help with future trips to Mars. As part of her training to help astronauts study rock samples that could tell them important things about the past of Mars, she is currently studying geology.

She talked more about her journey and said that she and her coworker Mohammed AlMulla were chosen for the second group of the UAE Astronaut Program in 2021. They got their first training at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in Dubai and then spent another two and a half years at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

AlMatrooshi talked about the many skills they learned during their training, which included going on spacewalks, getting ready to work on the International Space Station (ISS), and becoming better leaders. She talked about projects that are still going on at MBRSC and partnerships with foreign groups such as NASA, JAXA, CSA, and ESA. A big part of the “Lunar Gateway” program is the UAE. The goal of this program is to build an airlock module for a space station that will visit the moon.

AlMatrooshi talked about her background and said that her path to space started with a degree in mechanical engineering, which was before the UAE had an astronaut program. Because her family supported her, she followed her dream and became an astronaut. Notable astronauts include Hazza Al Mansouri, who was the first Emirati in space, and Sultan Al Neyadi, who was the first Arab to do a spacewalk.

At the Woman of Distinction event, the American Academy for Girls recognized AlMatrooshi and told her how brave and independent she was. Alia Saleh, one of the students, said that her accomplishments made them feel strong, especially since she worked in an area that is usually dominated by men. Because of AlMatrooshi’s groundbreaking trip, the students talked about their goals, which included working in sustainability, education, healthcare, and engineering.