ABU DHABI // The country’s space ambitions require young people to become “excited” by the science and technology involved in the industry.
At a meeting of the UAE Space Agency this week, experts discussed ways to get the nation behind the space programme, which aimed to put an unmanned probe on Mars by 2021.
Charles Elachi, a committee member, said the UAE established its space industry with the Yahsat satellite and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai.
“It is a good foundation,” he said. “In the end, the most important thing are the people, even more than the facilities.”
Dr Elachi toured the space centre and said he was “impressed with the talent and enthusiasm” of the young people.
“A key element is to put a very challenging vision that people will strive to achieve. For instance, the mission to Mars is a big challenge [for] young people and the Government and the agency,” he said,
He believed the way to really enthuse the youth was to educate them at a very young age.
“It should start at the ages of 10 to 14. It can’t wait until college; we want them to be excited very young.”
He said one of the topics discussed by the board was to introduce teaching about the space programme in schools.
“You want them at the young age to aspire to become the engineers or the scientists who will explore Mars. We want them to be the next generation of astronomers and explorers,” said Dr Elachi.
Farouq El Baz, another board member, joked that there were similarities between Mars and the Middle East.
“To begin with Mars as an activity is a wonderful thing. Mars’ atmosphere is identical to that of the desert in the Arab World, Earth is the cousin of Mars,” he said.
“It has the same process of rocks that formed, then a great deal of rain, and then rivers and oceans, deposits and soils, the material was broken up to bits and pieces and then the water disappeared and now it is locked up, then came the wind and that made the largest dunes, which is not found in the Arabian Peninsula. So there is a relationship,” he said.
He said the UAE gathered the experts’ knowledge from around the world to implement is strategy, without following models.
“Having the capability of building the structural framework that attract all the talent that you need, step by step. Begin with a vision, and establish the broad outline of what you need to do, how many people you need to train,” he said.
Chairman of the Space Agency Dr Khalifa Al Romaithi, said the committee was chosen from people who had “a vast knowledge and experience in the sector” who could allow the country to “focus on the future”.
Its aim was to also use existing technologies in the space industry in other fields said Dr Al Romaithi.
aalkhoori@thenational.ae
