As plans move forward on the Artemis programme, which aims to put humans back on the Moon, US-UAE collaboration will be critical to “unravelling the mysteries of the cosmos”, Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has said.
“The enduring relationship between the United Arab Emirates and the United States … is rooted in the boundless pursuit of space exploration,” Dr Al Neyadi told an event in Washington.
“Our journey is underpinned by technological achievements and the unwavering spirit of collaboration.”
Friday's event, organised by the UAE embassy, brought together leaders from Nasa and the UAE Space Agency as well as industry representatives to tout the continuing collaboration between the two countries beyond Earth's atmosphere.
“There's so much commonality between our nations, from our tremendous ambitions in space to strong political support for the space industry, which is growing in the UAE,” said James Free, associate administrator of Nasa.
“Seeing our humans in space is a common ground that we work from.”
Artemis missions
The Artemis programme grew out of the Artemis Accords, which were signed by 35 countries, including the US and UAE. The agreement cemented the norms to be followed in space.
“Our commitment to exploring the lunar surface took us significantly forward with the signing of the Artemis Accords in 2020 – a visionary step towards collective exploration of the Moon and beyond,” said Dr Al Neyadi.
“Our journey with the United States in space … is a profound collaboration aimed at unravelling the mysteries of the cosmos for the benefit of all mankind.”
The Artemis programme aims to land the first woman, first person of colour and Nasa's first international partner astronaut on the Moon.
A lunar space station, called the Lunar Gateway, will support future missions to Mars and beyond.
The ultimate goal is to construct a sustainable base on the Moon that will allow for future missions to other parts of the solar system.
In January, Nasa and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre announced the UAE would be providing the Crew and Science Airlock module for Gateway.
The airlock will be a highly important part of the station, as it will serve as a portal for crew and science research transfers between the station’s habitable environments and space.
Challenges ahead
The UAE will contribute not only the airlock but also an astronaut to the Artemis missions. And while the country has four trained astronauts, two of whom have already visited space, the person heading to the Moon will face a host of challenges.
“When you're talking about human space flight, it has that human element,” Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati to travel to space, told The National.
“To prepare astronauts, it's really a very challenging, very long-term preparation.”
The challenges of building a lunar-orbiting station and an eventual base on the Moon are not only technical in nature but physical as well.
Astronauts spending long periods of time in space could receive radiation doses up to 700 times higher than on Earth, according to the European Space Agency.
Other problems include stress on the human body due to long periods spent in microgravity, which include bone density loss, muscle atrophy and cardiovascular issues.
But the Artemis missions will provide better understanding of how humans can adapt to lengthy stays in space.
Maj Al Mansoori advised newly minted astronauts Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla to “keep going, keep continuing your training, make sure you maintain your proficiency in terms of skill sets” to prepare for future space flight.
Gateway will necessitate contributions from international space agencies as well as from private companies.
UAE leaders attend Gateway Lunar Space Station inauguration - in pictures
During the panel, experts discussed the need for industry-to-industry partnership in ensuring the Artemis programme is a success.
“My mission was a testament to what we achieve when we work together – I launched on an American spaceship, SpaceX Dragon,” Dr Al Neyadi told The National.
“I think we have a very busy time ahead of us, be it the astronauts' training for the specific missions or the engineering teams discussing with entities from the industry here in the US.”
Though collaboration is essential for the future of the Artemis missions, the “collective effort” of it is also one of its biggest problems.
“It's not just one little mission and that's it – it's a series of different missions,” Noora Alsaeed, senior space science researcher at the UAE Space Agency, told The National.
“It requires a sustained effort and that's [not just for the UAE and the US] – we're working hard on keeping up that energy.
“The private sector has a really pivotal role in providing that sustainable environment that is going to propel and make sure we follow through with these plans.”
She added that exploration of the Moon would allow scientists to better understand Earth's satellite and also provide a jumping-off point for future missions to Mars and the asteroid belt.
“We want to take exploration to the furthest possible point that humans can achieve and it's a step-by-step thing, so through our exploration of the Moon and having humans go back to the Moon, we can really hone in on the skills and the equipment needed for people to be able to survive even more challenging areas such as Mars.”
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The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
LAST-16 FIXTURES
Sunday, January 20
3pm: Jordan v Vietnam at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
6pm: Thailand v China at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: Iran v Oman at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Monday, January 21
3pm: Japan v Saudi Arabia at Sharjah Stadium
6pm: Australia v Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: UAE v Kyrgyzstan at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tuesday, January 22
5pm: South Korea v Bahrain at Rashid Stadium, Dubai
8pm: Qatar v Iraq at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community
• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style
“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.
Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term.
From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”
• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International
"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed. Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."
• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."
• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.
His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.
Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."
• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher
"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen. He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”
• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."
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Company Profile
Company name: Fine Diner
Started: March, 2020
Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and food delivery
Initial investment: Dh75,000
Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp
Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000
Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
