Latest astronaut from UAE getting used to space

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — The second astronaut from the United Arab Emirates is still adjusting to life off the planet, after rocketing to the International Space Station last week. Sultan al-Neyadi assured Dubai’s ruler on Tuesday during a video call that he’s in good health. But he joked that the small plush toy he took up is probably coping better with microgravity than he is. SpaceX launched al-Neyadi a Russian cosmonaut and two NASA astronauts on their six-month mission last Thursday. He’s the first from the Arab world to be assigned to a long spaceflight.