ABU DHABI // The UAE and Nasa are working together to help make the impossible possible and turn science fiction into fact, a former astronaut told a Ramadan majlis in the capital.
“We are going on a journey to Mars,“ Charles Bolden told an audience that included Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
“You’re going to help us turn the impossible into the possible and science fiction into fact because that’s what we do at Nasa.”
The administrator of Nasa said the world is on the cusp of a new era in space and aeronautics that will revolutionise travel by creating cleaner, faster planes.
“Our hope is to one day get you to travel from Abu Dhabi to New York in a little over an hour. One day we’ll be able to do that.”
On Sunday, the UAE Space Agency and Nasa signed an agreement to cooperate on space exploration. It covered cooperation and collaboration in space science, operational Earth observation and Earth science, aeronautics, space operations and exploration, education, technology, safety and mission assurance.
A veteran of four space flights, Mr Bolden, who spent more than 680 hours in space, said he was impressed with the work of the UAE Space Agency.
“There is no shortage of smart people in the UAE,” he said. “I wish I could take some of them back home with me to (Washington) DC.”
Even although there were challenges to overcome, the former astronaut said Nasa was closer to sending humans to Mars, and bringing them back again, than it has ever been.
“It’s going to be a return journey. I’m not sending anyone to Mars on a one-way ticket,” he said before going on to explain how the James Webb Space Telescope will replace and surpass the achievements of the world-famous Hubble telescope.
“The advancements in that telescope will dwarf the data and knowledge that we have,” he said adding that the US$8.8 billion telescope was expected to be launched in two years.
Mr Bolden explained how Nasa’s cooperation with international partners will enhance scientific discovery and technological innovation that will lead to societal benefits and invigorate economies.
“We are going to be working hand in glove, getting the UAE involved in aeronautics and the Mars Mission. I applaud UAE’s investment in Khalifasat,” said Mr Bolden.
The 69-year-old, who piloted space shuttle Columbia for the first time in 1986, dubbed this generation the “Mars Generation” as it heralded an era of diversity and inclusion.
He commended the number of men and women studying space programmes at UAE universities.
“This is our story to Mars. I’m going to be sitting on my rocking chair one day, thinking of my time in the UAE and our talk on the UAE’s first satellite to Mars.”
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
More on animal trafficking
Episode list:
Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery
Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges
Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic
Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks
Ep5: Travel and tourism
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
