The youngest person to walk on the moon has shared stories of life in space with the UAE's own history-maker, Hazza Al Mansouri.
Charles Duke, who set foot on the lunar surface at the age of 36 as pilot of Apollo 16 in 1972, met Maj Al Mansouri, the first Emirati astronaut, during a visit to Dubai's Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre on Thursday.
The American astronaut, now 86, was the tenth person to walk on the Moon and had previously served as a fighter pilot.
The intrepid space traveller also met Salem Al Marri, deputy director general at the centre, and other Emirati astronauts and officials.
Maj Al Mansouri etched his name in the record books when he spent eight days on board the International Space Station from September 25, 2019.
Mr Duke discussed Moon missions and future lunar exploration, of which the UAE will play a key role.
The UAE's blossoming space programme will take another stride forward when it launches the Arab world’s first lunar rover, Rashid.
The craft will land on the north-eastern part of the Moon's near side, on a site known as the Lacus Somniorum.
The Latin phrase translates to "Lake of Dreams" and is the primary landing site for the UAE’s lunar mission in 2022. Three other spots have been selected as alternatives, as a precautionary measure.
Engineers at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre are building the 10-kilogram rover.
The first prototype of the lunar vehicle is complete and it will now undergo rigorous testing.
UAE's Moon mission
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An artist's impression of the UAE's lunar rover called Rashid. -
Dr Hamad Al Marzooqi, project manager of the Emirates Lunar Mission at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
An artist's impression of iSpace's Hakuto-Reboot lunar lander. It will carry UAE's Rashid rover to the surface of the Moon in 2022. -
The UAE aims to land the Rashid rover on the near side of the Moon due to its smoother surface. -
The far side of the Moon remains largely unexplored, but Nasa is turning its focus back to the lunar surface. -
The HAKUTO-R lander, which will deliver the UAE's Rashid rover to the lunar surface in 2022, is now in final stages of assembly. -
The ispace team completed the assembly of the lander's structure thermal model in April. Courtesy: ispace -
The final assembly of the lander is being carried out in co-operation with the Ariane Group GmbH at the Ariane Group facility in Lampoldshausen, Germany. Courtesy: ispace -
Using a lander and rocket that is already available helps Emirati engineers and scientists get quicker and easier access to space. Courtesy: ispace -
The initial concept design of the Rashid rover. Courtesy: MBRSC -
Rashid rover's thermal imager will analyse the Moon's properties through thermal energy. Courtesy: MBRSC -
The Langmuir probes on the rover will analyse the lunar surface charge and electric fields. Courtesy: MBRSC -
One of the rover's two high-resolution optical imagers that will take photos of the Moon. Courtesy: MBRSC
