What was life like in space? Not very different from life here on earth to be fair…

If you’ve been keeping track of Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi’s space mission, then you probably know by now that he will be returning to Earth after spending six months in space on Saturday, September 2.

As we wait for more updates on his safe return, here are some cool things Al Neyadi shared with us here on Earth during his six-month trip on the International Space Station (ISS).

A cool shot of the UAE…

Beautiful even from afar…

Here’s one snapped at night…

How glorious does the skyline look from up there?

How he takes his coffee…

A cuppa in the morning…just like us…

A timelapse of his first spacewalk…

Looks like a walk in the park, doesn’t it?

Keeping fit with Jiu-Jitsu…

Gotta keep those moves in check. No rest days in space…

He means it, no rest days…

Yes, you do need to exercise in space as well – in fact, astronauts work out for two and a half hours every day to keep themselves healthy and fit. Inspiring us to get on track with our fitness routines, too…

Yoga with a view…

A little bit of zen… 420 kilometres from Earth. With a view like that, we’ll definitely sign up, too…

Science! Here’s what water looks like in zero gravity…

How cool does that blob look floating around?

Celebrating his birthday…

A birthday on earth or one in space, it doesn’t matter – and Sultan Al Neyadi celebrated his first birthday in space with a maple muffin top cake from the USA crew and a cinnamon bun with yoghurt and dry fruits from the Russian crew. A special moment that he will never forget…

A view of the holy site of Mecca

‘Faith is not just about belief, but also action and reflection. May it inspire us all to strive for compassion, humility, and unity.’ – Al Neyadi

Hello to the Palms!

Just a tiny speck of dust in a cosmic universe…

Of course, he couldn’t leave the moon out. She’s a beaut…

The average distance between Earth and the Moon is around 384,000 km…yep, let that sink in…

Ever wondered if the sun ever sets out there?

It doesn’t! And isn’t that timelapse pretty cool…

Some downtime with games…

Cause even astronauts need to have a bit of fun…

Keeping up with those reading habits…

And here’s what astronauts eat…

Here’s the astronaut sharing his favourite snack… Emirati honey

The way the bread is just floating around? We can confirm that we watched this video multiple times just to see that again.

Images: supplied/Instagram