Meet the First Arab Woman Astronaut Heading To Outer Space

Nora Al Matrooshi is making history as the first Emirati woman to complete her training at NASA. What does that mean? Nora can officially call herself an astronaut — a dream she’s had since she was five years old.

In honor of Muslim Women’s Day on March 27, we teamed up with our friends at NASA to hear Nora’s inspiring story as she gives meaning to the phrase, “If you can see it, you can be it.” After graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from the United Arab Emirates University and continuing her training in Finland, Nora was selected by the United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAESA) to join NASA’s training program in 2021. Her extensive astronaut training took two years of dedicated effort, which encompassed training activities such as simulated spacewalks in her hijab. On March 5, 2024, Nora became the first Arab Muslim woman to complete the rigorous program, qualifying her to participate in NASA space missions.

She is breaking gender barriers in space exploration and empowering Muslim women worldwide, from her training at Johnson Space Center to future missions to the moon and beyond. Thanks to her hard work, now millions of girls around the world will be able to see a reflection of themselves in the stars.

MUSLIM GIRL: How has your faith influenced your experience as an astronaut?

Nora Al Matrooshi:  I think building on what all of the Muslim and Arab scholars have already done thousands of years ago when they were studying the stars. That’s one of the things that inspired me and made me even more eager to pursue a career path in space.  

How do you balance the cultural significance of being an Emirati woman with the universal pursuit of space exploration?  

I don’t think there’s any clash between those two things because ever since the UAE was founded, the founders of the UAE knew how important of a role women play in society. So, they were pushing for women to be in every single field — and that way of thinking, growing and developing has, I think, helped the UAE reach the standard. The UAE culture is built on exploring going after what you want and what you believe in. The UAE has deleted the word impossible from their dictionary. A lot of our leadership says that all the time, there is nothing impossible in the UAE. We are going to push beyond what people think we can do. We are going to go beyond what anyone else has done. And we are going to take whoever we can along with us.

How do you feel about breaking these gender barriers in space exploration? I think this is the first time I’m seeing someone that looks like me.  What message would you like to convey to aspiring female astronauts? 

Astronauts come in many different shapes and sizes. I knew that there were some Muslim astronauts out there, some Muslims that were up in space, but, like you, I’ve never seen one who wears a hijab that goes up into space. I’ve been asked a lot of questions like, “Oh, how, how can you become an astronaut and still be wearing the hijab?” I don’t think that it’s a limiting factor at all. As a matter of fact, if you see astronauts when they do spacewalks, they have something that’s covering their head or hair. And here at NASA, while doing my training, they’ve been very accommodating with what I’m comfortable with. I’ll talk specifically about the spacewalk training: the team that works on the suit reached out to me and asked me what they could do to help me be able to complete the training and still at the same time be comfortable with what I’m wearing. Not any type of material is allowed into the suit. So, the suit engineer ended up sewing — like, she sewed one at her house using like an old t-shirt — a turban that I could wear to cover my hair, for me to get into the suit. And once I’d gotten into the suit, I wear a comp cap that covers my hair. Obviously, there are no restrictions, nothing that would limit my ability to do a spacewalk. If there are any discussions about the material of it, then it’s just a nonflammable material.

Your training undoubtedly involves collaboration with colleagues from diverse backgrounds. How do you navigate cultural differences and foster teamwork in such an intense and high-stakes environment? 

One of the most important traits that astronauts need to have is an open mind and being a good team member. I was extremely lucky to be with 11 other astronauts that are that. They asked questions when they didn’t understand anything and they were very interested in my culture and religion just to know what I’m okay with and what they’re okay with. So, they asked and I gave them the answers that they needed. I really appreciate them asking because sometimes I wouldn’t know what was going to happen, and they would reach out beforehand and be like, “Nora, this is what’s gonna happen, 1 2 3 4… Is there anything in the agenda that you’re not comfortable with?” Then, if I point something out, they would ask, “How can we make this comfortable for you?” Like I said, one of the main essential traits for you to be an astronaut is for you to be flexible and be a good teammate, and I think the 11 people who graduated with me today are exactly that. 

Can you share a memorable experience or moment from your training at Johnson Space Center and the impact it had on you? 

Honestly, there are a lot of memorable experiences for me here. One of them being the first time I got into a T38  and we went supersonic. That’s like faster than the speed of sound. That was amazing. And then the second moment was in the suit in the neutral buoyancy lab. Looking at the mock-up of the ISS in the pool and seeing, imagining, what it would actually look like if you were actually in a suit, doing a spacewalk on station. I think those two moments are the most memorable for me. Those two moments just let it sink in that I’ve reached the goal that I’ve been working towards for a very long time.

With plans for future space missions, including trips to the moon and Mars under NASA’s Artemis program, what are your long-term goals and aspirations in the field of space exploration?

The United Arab Emirates has signed on to be part of the Artemis program. The UAE, through the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, is going to be building the airlock for Gateway, which is something similar to the ISS. It’s a space station that’s going to be orbiting the moon. I wanted to be an astronaut since I was five. The day that I decided that I wanted to be an astronaut was in our kindergarten class: our teacher took us on a make-believe trip to the moon, and that day I imagined myself actually setting foot on the moon. That image is what pushed me towards pursuing a career in space and wanting to become an astronaut. So, I’m very excited for the Artemis missions and my dream mission would be a mission to the surface of the moon.  

If you could choose the soundtrack for your first space mission, what songs would be on your space playlist?

Oh, that’s so such a good question. Let’s see. I think it would be a mixture of 90’s pop music and a bunch of old Arabic songs. I basically listen to everything, but I think a mixture of those two is going to be what I’m going to listen to.

During your astronaut training, what was the most unexpected or amusing challenge you faced that you didn’t anticipate when you first started the program?

I thought that my version of camping was actual camping, but it turned out to be what the Americans consider to be “glamping.” I’m a very clean person. I like to be clean, and it’s really hard for me to go for a couple of days without being able to take a shower. I guess I didn’t realize just how much it would bother me not being able to be clean. The argument could be like, oh, you don’t have a shower on station either, but I do have access to water and towels and those are, I think, good enough to be clean. I think that was one of the things I did not expect.

If you had the opportunity to share a meal in space with any historical figure or fictional character, who would it be and what dish would you bring from Earth to enjoy together?

I would say Ahmed Bin Majid. He was an Arab explorer that traveled the world and wrote a lot about his travels. I feel like he would be a person who would love to hear about the journey and if he was alive at this time, he would be an astronaut. What meal would it be? A salad. I love salads, so maybe a salad?