The Hakuto-R Mission 1 lunar lander is delivered to Florida's Cape Canaveral from where it will carry the UAE's Rashid rover to the Moon. Photo: ispace
The Hakuto lander with the Rashid rover stored inside, ready to be shipped to Florida. Photo: ispace
Rashid lunar rover's final prototype. Photo: Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre
An Emirati engineer tested the Moon rover in remote desert areas of Dubai. Photo: Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre
Dr Hamad Al Marzooqi, project manager of the Emirates lunar mission. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Development of the lander nears completion. Photo: ispace
Emirati engineers test parts of the Rashid rover. Photo: Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre
Emirati engineers test parts of the Rashid rover. Photo: Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre
The UAE is working with a team of international scientists to solve one of the biggest challenges astronauts face on the Moon – lunar dust.
It was during the Apollo missions that scientists learnt how lunar dust, or regolith, was sticking to astronauts’ spacesuits, causing erosion and operational problems.
With space agencies attempting to send human beings to the Moon’s surface again, razor-sharp lunar dust remains a concern, as its electrostatically charged particles cause it to stick to nearly everything.
The UAE’s lunar mission aims to solve this issue with an experiment that will test different materials against the dust.
Called the material adhesive experiment, a variety of test samples would be attached to the Rashid rover’s wheels, when it launches to the Moon next year.
UAE leads international effort
“We have an international group of material scientists working with us and participating in this experiment,” Dr Hamad Al Marzooqi, project manager of the Emirates Lunar Mission, told The National.
“They are proposing nine to 10 materials that will be attached on different areas of the wheels. We will try to capture an image from the main camera before and after the rover drives on the surface with the material.
“We can use those images to compare how suitable this material would be for protection against lunar regolith and how it interacted with it.”
Airbus Defence and Space is one of the international groups working with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre for the experiment.
An agreement was signed between the two last month, which would help researchers at Airbus add their chosen materials to Rashid rover’s wheels.
The tiny 10-kilogram robotic rover will be carried to space aboard Japanese lander Hakuto-R. SpaceX will launch the mission on its Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
Nasa is working on its own next-generation spacesuits that will be worn by astronauts heading to the Moon as part of the Artemis programme.
The suits are called the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit and would allow astronauts to be more nimble, as compared to Apollo astronauts who had to “bunny-hop”.
“Now we know that the greater danger is that the soil is composed of tiny glass-like shards, so the new suit has a suite of dust-tolerant features to prevent inhalation or contamination of the suit’s life-support system or other spacecraft,” Nasa said.
“The pressure garment is the human shaped portion of the spacesuit that enables astronaut mobility and protects their body from the external environment, including extreme temperatures, radiation, micrometeoroids, and reduced atmospheric pressure.
“Astronauts will still wear a diaper-like garment during spacewalks that is a combination of commercial products stitched together for maximum absorption. Although space explorers generally prefer to not use it, it is there in the event they need to relieve themselves during a spacewalk that can last many hours.”
The UAE’s mission to the Moon could help test out some materials before astronauts land there to measure their tolerance against the lunar regolith.
Working with foreign space agencies and companies has made the mission possible.
The French space agency is supplying two optical cameras. One would be placed on top of the rover for panoramic images of the robot’s surroundings. The other one is a rear camera that would capture photos of the regolith.
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
T20s 52; Runs 1,456; 100s 1; 50s 7; Avg 31.65; Best 116 not out
The studios taking part (so far)
Punch
Vogue Fitness
Sweat
Bodytree Studio
The Hot House
The Room
Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
Cryo
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Warner 151 not out, Burns 97, Labuschagne 55 not out
Pakistan 240
Shafiq 76, Starc 4-52
Men’s singles
Group A: Son Wan-ho (Kor), Lee Chong Wei (Mas), Ng Long Angus (HK), Chen Long (Chn) Group B: Kidambi Srikanth (Ind), Shi Yugi (Chn), Chou Tien Chen (Tpe), Viktor Axelsen (Den)
Women’s Singles
Group A: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn), Pusarla Sindhu (Ind), Sayaka Sato (Jpn), He Bingjiao (Chn) Group B: Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe), Sung Hi-hyun (Kor), Ratchanok Intanon (Tha), Chen Yufei (Chn)
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Scoreline
Switzerland 5
Motori Profile
Date started: March 2020
Co-founder/CEO: Ahmed Eissa
Based: UAE, Abu Dhabi
Sector: Insurance Sector
Size: 50 full-time employees (Inside and Outside UAE)
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Safe City Group
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30, December 1-2
International Vets
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures
Thursday, November 30:
10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders
Friday, December 1:
9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa
