UAE to send first Arab spaceship to Mars by 2021

[Al Bhatti]

This is how he planned his Emirate which was to become the capital of United Arab Emirates and he would become the President of the new nation. A country where the leaders did not let the small native population be a hurdle and not dream big and achieve big.

 

[Alchemist89]

This is how he planned his Emirate which was to become the capital of United Arab Emirates and he would become the President of the new nation. A country where the leaders did not let the small native population be a hurdle and not dream big and achieve big.

Before

After

 

[Al Bhatti]

@Alchemist89

Did you sign up for the military service or not yet?

 

[Luftwaffe]

Just for fun and I know this guy is Pakistani not arab.

 

[Al Bhatti]

April 30, 2015

UAE to reveal details of first Arab mission to Mars
Spacecraft's journey, nature of research it will conduct on Red Planet and Emirati team who will work on the project to be unveiled

On Wednesday, 6th May, the United Arab Emirates will unveil the scientific and logistical details of the first Arab mission to Mars.

The announcement will take place at an official event to be attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and other top-level UAE officials.

https://twitter.com/x/status/593777759349903360

https://twitter.com/x/status/593777444315762688

The event will reveal the plan for the spacecraft's 7-9 month journey across the solar system, the nature of the scientific research that it will conduct when it arrives at the Red Planet, and the team of Emirati engineers and scientists who will work on the project for the next five years.

UAE to reveal details of first Arab mission to Mars | GulfNews.com

 

[Sinnerman108]

So, let me get this right.

UAE won't send troops to a country nearby.
But will send astronauts to Mars.

 

[Al Bhatti]

May 6, 2015

Mohammad Bin Rashid and top UAE officials at the event.

UAE Mars mission - MBRSC Engineers and Scientists at the lab

UAE plans to send an unmanned probe to the Mars in 2021.

The event is attended by top-level UAE officials.

UAE unveils details of UAE Mars mission
Update: UAE’s Mars Mission probe named Al Amal (Hope)

“The mission to Mars is but a first step to learn; Emirati engineers and scientists are eager to achieve this goal,” His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said during the unveiling ceremony, as tweeted by the Dubai Media Office. Shaikh Mohammad delivered his speech with the Emirati team in charge of the UAE Mars Mission behind him.

“It isn't about cost, it is an investment,” Shaikh Mohammad added.

UAE’s Mars Mission probe named Al Amal (Hope), Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid announces.

Details:

Dubai: The UAE unveiled its Mars mission plans on Wednesday.

The UAE Mars Mission will provide the truly global picture of the Martian atmosphere through an unmanned probe to be launched in July 2020 to reach Mars in 2021, according to the engineers involved in the project.

"Our science mission is to produce the first ever truly global picture of the Martian atmosphere. This is the first holistic study of the Martian climate and how the layers of atmosphere fit together," Omran Sharaf, Emirates Mars Mission Project Manager, said in the video of the Emirates Mars Mission launched during the unveiling of the UAE Mars mission on Wednesday.

These initial details were unveiled at an official event attended by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The event is attended by top-level UAE officials.

A purely Emirati team composed of 150 engineers and scientists will work on the mission.

"We have to be ready to launch by then [July 2020]. There is no second chance. It's a race against time," Sharaf said. The spacecraft will be launched in the nose cone of a rocket. The journey to Mars will take around seven months.

The Mars mission aims to analyse the Martian climate in order for the scientists to better understand the Red Planet, the Earth in the future millions of years from now, and other planets that have yet to be discovered. "We will model the connections between all the different components of the Martian climate including all the temperatures, winds, dust, and clouds," said Sarah Amiri, Deputy Project Manager, Science Lead.

"First, this will help us to model Earth's atmosphere and how it will evolve with time over millions of years. Second, it will allow us to analyze newly discovered planets far across the galaxy to be able to determine if there is life on it," she added.

"Scientists on earth will use the data that will be sent by the probe to build a complete dynamic picture of the Martian climate. This is something that has never been seen before," Sharaf said.

All data that will be sent from the prober will be made available to 200 universities and research institutes--the UAE's contribution to human knowledge

"Our data will give the international science community a deeper and richer understanding of the Martian atmosphere," Ebrahim Al Qasimi, Deputy Project Manager, Strategic Planning, said.

UAE's plans to send an unmanned probe to the Red Planet in 2021 coinciding with the UAE’s 50th anniversary were unveiled in July last year. A UAE Space Agency has since been created to plan, execute and monitor the seven to nine-month journey to Mars over the next six years.

The epic 60 million-kilometre journey makes UAE the ninth country to join the ‘global Martian club’ with the likes of the US, Russia, China, Japan, India and France with missions to explore the Red Planet for habitability and potential presence of life forms.

The UAE’s investments in space technologies already exceed Dh20 billion.

The Report:

The blueprints and science goals for the first Arab mission to Mars were revealed on Wednesday with the probe named “Hope” to create mankind’s first integrated model of the Red Planet’s atmosphere.

The announcement featured presentations from the Emirates Mars Mission team in the presence of high-level delegations headed by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai.

“This probe represents hope for millions of young Arabs looking for a better future. There is no future, no achievement, no life without hope,” Shaikh Mohammad said. “The Emirates Mars Mission will be a great contribution to human knowledge, a milestone for Arab civilisation, and a real investment for future generations.”

The unmanned probe will leave Earth in 2020 on a mission designed to complement the science work of other missions and fill important gaps in human knowledge. Its unique orbits and instruments will produce entirely new types of data that will enable scientists to build the first truly holistic models of the Martian atmosphere. These models will help the global Mars science community to unlock more mysteries of the Red Planet, such as why its atmosphere has been decaying into space to the point that it is now too thin for liquid water to exist on the surface.

Besides deepening human knowledge about Mars, the data will also help climate scientists understand changes in Earth’s atmosphere over millions of years. This knowledge will also help space scientists to evaluate the atmospheres of thousands of newly discovered planets far across the galaxy, to determine which may have an atmosphere that could support extra-terrestrial life.

The Emirates Mars Mission will be the first to study dynamic changes in the Martian atmosphere throughout its daily and seasonal cycles. Its specialised instruments will enable scientists to observe weather phenomena such as clouds and dust storms, as well as changes in temperature, dust, ice and gases including water vapour throughout the layers of the atmosphere. They will learn for the first time how the atmosphere interacts with topography, from the highest volcano peaks to the vast deserts and the deepest canyons.

The probe will be a compact spacecraft the size and weight of a small car. It will blast off in a launcher rocket, then detach and accelerate into deep space. It will reach a speed of 126,000 kilometres per hour for the 600 million km journey around the sun to Mars, which will take around 200 days.

The probe will orbit the Red Planet until at least 2023, with an option to extend the mission until 2025. It will send back more than 1000 GB of data to be analysed by teams of researchers in the UAE, and shared freely with more than 200 institutions worldwide for the benefit of thousands of space specialists.

The Emirates Mars Mission will leave behind a major legacy on Earth, because the mission is being planned and managed in the UAE by a 100 per cent Emirati team. In this way it is designed as a catalyst for a new generation of Arab scientists and engineers, and as an anchor project for the growing science and space sectors.

The Emirates Mars Mission team currently comprises 75 Emirati engineers and researchers and will grow to more than 150 by 2020.

“The Emirates Mars Mission is a strategic investment in our human capital and an investment in our human capital is a winning investment. Future generations will reap the rewards of our investment in science and knowledge,” Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid said.

The Emirates Mars Mission will send three important messages, he added.

“The first message is for the world: that Arab civilisation once played a great role in contributing to human knowledge, and will play that role again.”

“The second message is to our Arab brethren: that nothing is impossible, and that we can compete with the greatest of nations in the race for knowledge.”

“The third message is for those who strive to reach the highest of peaks: set no limits to your ambitions, and you can reach even to space.”

Shaikh Mohammad announced that the probe would be called “Hope”, a name chosen after the Arab world was invited to submit suggestions in a public campaign.

“We thank everyone who participated and wanted to be part of this great historic project to send the first Arab probe to Mars. Everyone who took part is a partner in this mission,” Shaikh Mohammad said.

The Emirates Mars Mission team gave a full presentation about the project with all the science details in addition to a video about the journey to Mars. Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, were among many dignitaries who attended.

Also present was Dr Khalifa Mohammad Thani Al Rumaithi, Chairman of the Board of Directors at the UAE Space Agency, who commented: “The UAE Space Agency, given its administrative and financial responsibility, will work side by side with the mission team and all the strategic partners to see this mission executed in the time given and the budget allocated through implementing best practice for space projects so that the mission achieves its purpose and goals.”

How it works:

The spacecraft will be launched in the nose cone of a rocket. The rocket must exceed 40,000km/hr to break out of Earth’s gravity.

Then once in space, the centre booster in rocket stages will fire up. The fire thrusters will speed up its flight at 100,000km/hr. Then the spacecraft will separate from the launcher.

The spacecraft will unfold its solar panels and point toward the sun to charge the batteries.

Since there is no GPS in deep space, the spacecraft will have to find Mars using star trackers to navigate using patterns of constellations, similar to how our ancestors used the stars to navigate their way in the desert and at sea.

Al Qasimi said when the spacecraft reaches Mars, it will have to slow down to 14,000km/hr in order to enter Mars’ orbit.

“This will be a tense time at mission control in the UAE. The thrusters must fire for 30 minutes at precisely the right time. If anything goes wrong, the spacecraft will pass Mars and the mission will fail.” Sharaf said.

Controlling the spacecraft from Mars will be impossible as sending signals to a spacecraft millions of miles away will take approximately 40 minutes to reach. The spacecraft will be sophisticated enough to make its own decisions.

UAE unveils details of UAE Mars mission | GulfNews.com

 

[Al Bhatti]

 

[Al Bhatti]

https://twitter.com/x/status/595914907528208384

 

[Al Bhatti]

PM, Nayif-1 Mission. Deputy PM for EOM, Emirates Mars Mission. Manager, Strategic Research Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre

https://twitter.com/x/status/595923935935365122

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May 6, 2015

How the UAE’s Hope will travel from Earth to Mars

The Mars rocket will have only a brief launch window in July 2020 when Earth and Mars are at their closest.
To break free from Earth’s gravity, the 1,500-kilogram craft will need to reach a speed of up to 40,000kph.

After one minute, the first set of rocket boosters will detach and fall away, followed by three more rocket stages, which will fire up and drop off until the launcher releases the spacecraft on its journey.

Once the probe stops spinning, the first signals will come in to Mission Control in the UAE.

Three solar panels will then unfold and the craft will direct itself towards the Sun to charge the batteries that will power its computers, transmitters and equipment.

After reaching full speed, the probe will not need any more energy to propel itself.

It will use star trackers to navigate using the patterns of constellations, just as the UAE’s Bedouin used the stars to navigate through the desert.

Once it reaches Mars, Hope must use its thrusters as brakes to slow down and enter the planet’s orbit.

Because of the distance, radio signals will take between 13 and 20 minutes to reach Earth, making it impossible to control the spacecraft in real time.

Its software will have to make its own decisions to correct course without human intervention.

The engine must be fired for 30 minutes to avoid speeding past Mars.

The probe’s sensors will then turn on and start collecting data to be transmitted to Earth.

A digital camera will send back high-resolution colour images and an infrared spectrometer will examine temperature, ice, water vapour and dust in the atmosphere.

And an ultraviolet spectrometer will study the upper atmosphere and traces of oxygen and hydrogen further out into space.

How the UAE's Hope will travel from Earth to Mars | The National

 

[MilSpec]

Very good development... good luck to UAE!

 

[Al Bhatti]

 

[Metanoia]

Great stuff...I hope Suparco wakes up from their eternal slumber.

 

[Al Bhatti]

May 24, 2015

UAE Space Agency unveils its strategy

The UAE Space Agency will announce details of its plans and objectives on Monday on the eve of a regional space forum in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

The two-day Gulf Space and Satellite Forum, in its fifth year, is expected to attract high-ranking officials from the industry, including Nasa, to discuss prospective work with the UAE.

“We try to position the UAE as a regional leader in space, and hope in the future it will be part of the big space players,” said Dr Mohammed Al Ahbabi, the agency’s director general.

“So it is important for us to have high-profile space events in the UAE and this is an opportunity for us and for our people to meet the best and most famous space scientists, engineers and leaders. They will come here, interact with our own universities and government officials and this is educational for our people.”

He said the forum would serve as an opportunity for the global space community to witness the UAE’s progress and strengthen its relationship with the country.

“It is a great opportunity,” Dr Al Ahbabi said. “This conference by all means attracts some of the highest officials because the quality of the event is determined by the people who are coming.

“I think this event is one of many. We just sponsored one during Idex. This will be the second this year and there will be a third in November with the United Nations, so we are working in parallel.

“We try to increase awareness. This is also part of our PR to our people that the space agency is active and organising these events.”

Since its establishment in July last year, the agency has set up a team that has generated a number of original ideas about what it can become.

“We said we need to do our homework and go out and see what the world is doing in space and what is their strategic framework as well as how do they work and function,” he said. “We did a lengthy exercise until we came up with a strategic framework for the space agency including the vision, mission and major strategic objectives.”

Those were approved by the Government in January and will be announced on Monday by the UAE Space Agency.

“We align them with the UAE Government’s vision to the future, specifically for the space sector because our space sector is kind of leading the region in terms of size, direct investment and programmes,” Dr Al Ahbabi said.

The UAE’s space sector includes a direct investment of more than Dh20 billion, with three major space players providing space services to the UAE, among others, thanks to a third satellite covering South America expected to launch in 2017.

“We aligned our strategic objectives with what we already have and how the world is functioning in terms of global space because we are part of that,” Dr Al Ahbabi said.

“We were, of course, influenced by the Mars mission. We think it is a great opportunity and project for us and our space sector to even further develop because the awareness, interest and aspiration of this project is a great vehicle for us to develop our capabilities.”

He said the agency made it a priority to ensure the Mars mission remains on track, on time and on budget while meeting the Government’s objectives.

“There are challenges, such as limited time,” he said. “But we are very confident that we will achieve that project on time.”

UAE Space Agency unveils its strategy | The National



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May 25, 2015

UAE Space Agency will choose 20 student delegates for programme

About 20 Emirati students will be selected to travel overseas and within the UAE as part of the country’s first academic space programme in partnership with Yahsat, Masdar Institute and ATK Orbital.

The Middle East’s first Space Research Centre will be established in Al Ain over the next five years, part of the UAE Space Agency’s strategic plan for 2015.

The Dh100 million project will act as an incubator for space research, development and innovation at the federal level. It is the result of a strategic partnership between the agency, UAE University and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, represented by the ICT Fund.

The agency is also working on setting up a number of bodies and working groups to focus on the peaceful and optimal use of space.

Dr Mohammed Al Ahbabi, director general of the agency, said the UAE had decided to play a pivotal and leading role in local, regional and global development.

“The UAE Space Agency is committed to achieving the vision of the nation and the implementation of it’s ambitious strategy within space,” he said. “The UAE will become a shining star on the global map of the space industry, God willing.”

UAE Space Agency will choose 20 student delegates for programme | The National

 

[Al Bhatti]

May 26, 2015

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, looks at the UAE flag that was carried to the moon by Apollo 17 in 1973.

Visitors to the UAE Space Agency’s strategy launch at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Highlights included a Dh100m research centre in Al Ain and initiatives to train and develop an expert Emirati workforce.


Al Ain to get first space research centre in the Middle East

The Middle East’s first space research centre is expected to open in the Emirates within the next year, the director general of the UAE Space Agency announced on Monday.

The Dh100 million centre in Al Ain will act as an incubator for development and innovation at the federal level.

“We are in the process of the final signature to establish the first space research centre in the UAE, along with the UAE University and that is a really significant achievement,” said Dr Mohammed Al Ahbabi, director general of the agency.

“It will be open to people outside the university and they will offer space projects, research and development for space and it will also serve university students as well as space operators.”

The centre will be funded by the university and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, represented by the ICT Fund.

“It is a federal body that funds science and technology mainly in the information, communication and technology domain, and space is a part of it,” he said. “We will be on the board to make sure it is in line with our strategic objectives. The centre will be dedicated to research. This is how science progresses.”

Existing buildings will be used until the centre gets its own site.

“I think this is a big achievement to work with some local funding agencies to establish this,” Dr Al Ahbabi said. “Space is expensive, it is something we have to remember, but it is a good kind of expensive. The return on investment is high but it is not [tangible]. It is there but hard to quantify it.”

He said explaining the benefits of space exploration to the population could sometimes be difficult and time-consuming.

“In some countries, not everyone supports space,” he said. “They say we need to solve the Earth’s problems before heading to space. But we believe in the UAE that space is an opportunity that provides great advantages, not only to the UAE but to humankind.”

The agency will also coordinate with a number of organisations on the project, including the Emirates Mobile Observatory.

“The UAE possesses the resources, practical experience, national will and strong motivation to enter the world of space,” said Dr Khalifa Al Rumaithi, the agency’s chairman. “The space sector plays an important role in the diversification of the UAE economy. There is a long-term strategy to lay a solid foundation for a society built on science and knowledge, leading to innovations and discoveries in space that will stimulate an economy based on advanced technology.”

Matthew Cochran, chairman of the Defence Services Marketing Council, a group of individuals from companies in the defence, space and security industries, said the new centre would gather space-related entities in the country.

“At a federal level, there are a number of government and academic institutions as well as the industry here in the UAE that are looking for a federal body to direct research and development, especially advanced research and development,” he said. “And the more specific the research centre can be focused on space, the better for all three of those branches. Because academia, industry and government have been working together very well throughout the UAE, having a federal body say ‘this is the focus’ will benefit the industry as a whole.”

He said more “made in the UAE” technology would lead to sustainability.

“This shows the UAE is setting up a space agency focusing like a laser on the mission in a very short timescale. This will avoid redundancy and a lot of waste.”

Al Ain to get first space research centre in the Middle East | The National



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May 25, 2015

US space scientist recalls Zayed’s interest in space
UAE leaders continue their interest in the secrets of space

Many people may not know that the founder of UAE, Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, cared greatly about space and the scientific results achieved from such trips, according to a renowned space scientist.
Recalling his three meetings with Shaikh Zayed in the mid-1970s, Egyptian-American space scientist Dr Farouk Al Baz said he had met Shaikh Zayed in June 1974 after the completion of the Apollo lunar exploration mission.

Dr Al Baz had worked with Nasa (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the US) to assist in the planning of scientific exploration of the Moon, including the selection of landing sites for the Apollo missions and the training of astronauts in lunar observations and photography.

He addressed the UAE Space Agency launch ceremony on Monday via a video.

Dr Al Baz said that Shaikh Zayed was pleased to know the Appollo 15 astronauts took on the trip with them Al Fatiha verse from the Quran to protect them, and that the leading astronaut sent a greeting from the Moon, saying: “Hello people of the earth – we send peace to you.”

Dr Al Baz gave him a present which was a map of the surface of the moon that detailed six landing sites. Shaikh Zayed was pleased that the map showed the names of the ancient Arab scientists who were around during the golden era of Islam such as Abu Al Fada, Beruni, Al Battani and Ibn Yunus and others,” he said.

“Shaikh Zayed joined me for our second meeting — in January 1975 — with a leading Apollo 15 astronaut James Arron. [Shaikh Zayed] asked about the atmosphere on the moon, the breathing techniques, food and sleep — and even how to get rid of human waste.

The third meeting was in February 1976 and was with three astronauts from the US-Russian Apollo venture. Because the ship remained in orbit around the Earth, Shaikh Zayed asked what the Arab deserts look like. He was also very pleased with the replica space shuttle which Nasa presented to him.

UAE leaders have continued to be interested in identifying the secrets of the universe through space expeditions, Dr Al Baz said, citing the initiatives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The Hope Probe is a beacon for all Arabs, he said, referring to the UAE’s Mars Mission. “It lights up the path of progress and the possibility of more scientific and technological developments.”

US space scientist recalls Zayed’s interest in space | GulfNews.com