HISTORIC: Mars success for UAE
THE United Arab Emirates (UAE) made space history today when its Hope Probe reached its Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) on Tuesday evening at 7:42 pm (UAE local time), completing its 7-month journey to Mars.
The UAE Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) is the first interplanetary mission undertaken by an Arab nation and UAE's just the fifth country worldwide to reach Mars.
UAE leaders visited the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) to congrtualte the scientists and engineers involved in the milestone achievement.
The arrival to the Red Planet also marks the 50th anniversary of the UAE’s Union formation.
The EMM, the country's first mission to the Red Planet, is designed to orbit Mars and study the dynamics in the Martian atmosphere on a global scale, and on both diurnal and seasonal timescales. Using three scientific instruments on board of the spacecraft, EMM will provide a set of measurements fundamental to an improved understanding of circulation and weather in the Martian lower and middle atmosphere.
The Hope probe was launched on July 20 from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Station.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance, said on the historic achievement: "Thanks to the UAE’s wise leadership and people, today, we achieved the dream of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE to reach space, and proved that nothing is impossible in the UAE. The Hope Probe’s arrival to Mars reaffirms that the wise leadership's decision to empower and invest in human capital has been successful – where they have put their belief in humans’ capabilities to accomplish the most important space project in our region, and build a prosperous future for the people of the UAE and the Arab and Islamic nation based on science, innovation, and creativity. Reaching Mars is a new opportunity for Arabs and Muslims to elevate their global standing, and an Emirati message of hope for the new generation in our Arab world – one that boosts their confidence and moves them towards a better future that knows not the impossible."
Source: http://www.tradearabia.com/news/MISC_378544.html
