Emirati girl Dana Sulaiman Al Bloushi, Nasa's youngest astronaut candidate, was received by Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior at his office at the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters on Monday.

Dana already holds a number of certificates from Nasa and is the youngest astronaut candidate involved in exciting programmes in the fields of aeronautics and space administration at Nasa in the United States, reports Emirates 24/7 News.

The 9-year old ‘Whiz Kid’, presented her spacesuit embroidered with the name of Sheikh Saif, along with the medals she acquired as a gift to Sheikh Saif, in recognition of his unlimited support to reinforce her early emerging talents.

Sheikh Saif gratefully accepted the gifts, but asked the young girl to keep them in her possession, as an incentive in her journey of excellence and innovation.

Sheikh Saif said, "The UAE takes pride in the achievements of its children, as well as their scientific excellence, which has earned them prestigious international statures in various fields."

He also hailed the support of the higher leadership, in order to empower children in the UAE, who are the builders of the future and the hope of the country.

Sheikh Saif also met with Sulaiman Mohammed Ismail Al Bloushi, who accompanied his two children, his son, Adeeb, and his 9 year--old daughter Dana, who is the youngest astronaut candidate undergoing training at Nasa.

Dana showed Sheikh Saif the nine distinguished certificates she acquired for completing ground-based, air-based and naval training courses in space and rocket science, and two gold medals for success and excellence.

For his part, young inventor Adeeb Al Bloushi promised Sheikh Saif to achieve more excellence in his future plans and to win a Nobel Prize, which is his future goal to further elevate the name of the UAE.

The proud father, Sulaiman Al Bloushi, praised the attention and support shown by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.

He said, "Meeting Sheikh Saif is an incentive for us to exert more efforts. Sheikh Saif’s congratulations to my children, Adeeb and Dana, make us more determined to reflect an honorable image of the UAE in all fields of science and knowledge, as we forge ahead to make Dana’s dreams come true."

He added that His Highness nicknamed the young girl ‘Dana of the Emirates’, to encourage her to achieve the aspirations of her generation of UAE youth and show excellence in international forums."

He added that his daughter expressed her overwhelming feelings and happiness to meet Sheikh Saif. She stressed that Sheikh Saif’s trust in the young girl was well placed, just like her brother, the young inventor Adeeb Al Bloushi.

Al Bloushi added that the support of Sheikh Saif to his daughter inspired her to achieve her dreams and reach her scientific aspirations.

It is worth mentioning that Dana looked up to her brother, and followed in his footsteps.

Together, they marched into the space training program, and completed an honorable scientific journey filled with achievements in the USA.

Dana comes from a family renowned for its talent, innovation, creativity, and excellence. She received the support and guidance that every child dreams of, to achieve her dreams.

She got inspired by the success of her brother, the youngest Emirati inventor, Adeeb Al Bloushi, who is two years older than her, who made significant contributions in the field of healthcare despite of his young age. Adeeb followed the path of scientists and worked day and night and shown early signs of innovation. He focused on scientific inventions to cater to the needs of society.

Dana underwent advanced practical trainings in space science (live and simulation training); rocket design, programming, and launch, her rocket design impressed the officials in Huntsville, as well as the space robot (in the field of design, programming and control of robotic mechanisms) at the space camp in the State of Alabama.
Later, at the Space Center Houston, Dana and her brother Adeeb were awarded a gold medal from the Space College for their excellence; especially in underwater neutral buoyancy training for astronauts and zero-gravity environment training. Dana looks forward to raising the flag of the UAE aloft in all her participations and work, and proving that the children of the UAE are the generation of future builders and are capable of innovation and excellence.

image courtesy : EAY