“Hope Probe” and Future Leadership
الاثنين، ٢٧ يوليو ٢٠٢٠
Yes ... the UAE launched a probe to explore Mars on the first Arab mission to the Red Planet. This is the fact that prompted many to question the significance of this Emirati move and its expected results; In response to that, we say that this historical scientific journey has put the UAE in a global competitive race with major global powers such as the United States, Russia, China and the European Union, which are all competing to explore Mars, and it is sufficient to point out that the “hope probe” was launched in its historical journey simultaneously with two Mars trips.
One of them was launched by China, and the other will be launched by the United States at the end of this month, and all of them have scientific goals to explore the planet. The coincidence of the close timing of the launch of these trips came with the aim to benefit from the short distance between the earth and the red planet at this time of the astronomical cycle, which does not allow a suitable release condition like this except for almost every 26 months, where the distance is 55 million km to be traveled in six months, and its goal is to open new horizons for mankind and to monitor any life indicators on the surface of Mars, in preparation for sending future manned trips.
The “hope probe” mission seeks to study the atmosphere of Mars, which coincides with the mission of "Tianon-1" or Chinese “questions of heaven”, which is the first missions of China to explore Mars as well, to observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars and search for any signs of water and snow, and this happens fifty years after Beijing launched its first satellite, an unmistakable sign for any observer; indeed, China, which launched a mission to explore Mars this month, took five decades after it launched its first satellite, and the launch of its first unmanned mission to Mars coincides with the mission of the Emirates, which strongly escalates the ladder of global excellence on this track, taking advantage of human and scientific progress, and striving to keep pace with the success of the major powers, and is engaged in a scientific competition with them. Then comes the mission of the American “Perseverance” probe aiming to obtain samples from the surface of Mars and transport them to Earth as part of the scientific efforts aimed at searching for traces of life on the Red Planet.
By following the path of the Emirati effort in the field of space, I can say that the UAE has set its feet on the ladder of success and scientific progress in the twenty-first century, for Mars is the key to the upcoming space discoveries, with its secrets that dozens of trips that have been launched so far could not decipher. Consequently, the UAE will have a scientific and a global position through its competition and cooperation with the major countries that compete in this field, such as the United States, Europe, Russia, China and India, so as to ensure a distinguished position in the global race towards the human leadership of Mars after a few decades as scientists and experts expect. The dream and ambition of the UAE is active participation in sending manned trips to Mars, with the experiences the country has accumulated in the field of studying living conditions on Mars.
I am very pleased with the expectations and testimonies of scientists and experts who participated with the UAE experts and engineers in building the “hope probe”, as they emphasized that the UAE can build the next probe with Emirati competencies and expertise. This means that we have already put our feet on the first thresholds of the glory ladder in the space field, and we have successfully passed the stage of participation with Global expertise in the aerospace industry, a stage usually known to all the major powers that preceded us in this field. China for instance, participated in its beginnings with Russian experts in the manufacture of spacecrafts and in planning for spacecraft trips and their launch to space, a field characterized by great scientific complexity and full of challenges because the possibilities of failure of launch flights are no less than the chances of success and may rather often exceed them. Nonetheless, it remains an inspiring field because failure in it carries a lot of lessons and experiences that open the way to upcoming successes. So it is indeed an area that creates hope and opens the way for the future and contributes to strengthening the determination and will of States as long as they possess patience, knowledge and faith in what they intend to achieve, in addition to the returns and benefits this field carries for all humanity.
The first message the “hope probe” captured a million kilometers away from the Earth’s surface, a picture of its destination for the Red Planet, taken with the devices that track the stars attached to the satellite’s navigation devices of the probe, was very remarkable. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President of the State, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, May God preserve him, commented on the picture saying, “The universe is so wide... Creation is so great ... and the Creator is so close.” It is an inspiring message for the people of the whole world that demonstrates the strength of the faith of our wise leadership in a leading scientific role that contributes to Humanity advancement and civilization. The Emirates have a clear agenda and goals for global competitiveness in all developmental fields, and they move in this direction with the confidence, will and strength of hope embodied by this probe, which is now swimming in space, seeking to achieve a scientific glory recorded for the UAE and all Arabs.
One of them was launched by China, and the other will be launched by the United States at the end of this month, and all of them have scientific goals to explore the planet. The coincidence of the close timing of the launch of these trips came with the aim to benefit from the short distance between the earth and the red planet at this time of the astronomical cycle, which does not allow a suitable release condition like this except for almost every 26 months, where the distance is 55 million km to be traveled in six months, and its goal is to open new horizons for mankind and to monitor any life indicators on the surface of Mars, in preparation for sending future manned trips.
The “hope probe” mission seeks to study the atmosphere of Mars, which coincides with the mission of "Tianon-1" or Chinese “questions of heaven”, which is the first missions of China to explore Mars as well, to observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars and search for any signs of water and snow, and this happens fifty years after Beijing launched its first satellite, an unmistakable sign for any observer; indeed, China, which launched a mission to explore Mars this month, took five decades after it launched its first satellite, and the launch of its first unmanned mission to Mars coincides with the mission of the Emirates, which strongly escalates the ladder of global excellence on this track, taking advantage of human and scientific progress, and striving to keep pace with the success of the major powers, and is engaged in a scientific competition with them. Then comes the mission of the American “Perseverance” probe aiming to obtain samples from the surface of Mars and transport them to Earth as part of the scientific efforts aimed at searching for traces of life on the Red Planet.
By following the path of the Emirati effort in the field of space, I can say that the UAE has set its feet on the ladder of success and scientific progress in the twenty-first century, for Mars is the key to the upcoming space discoveries, with its secrets that dozens of trips that have been launched so far could not decipher. Consequently, the UAE will have a scientific and a global position through its competition and cooperation with the major countries that compete in this field, such as the United States, Europe, Russia, China and India, so as to ensure a distinguished position in the global race towards the human leadership of Mars after a few decades as scientists and experts expect. The dream and ambition of the UAE is active participation in sending manned trips to Mars, with the experiences the country has accumulated in the field of studying living conditions on Mars.
I am very pleased with the expectations and testimonies of scientists and experts who participated with the UAE experts and engineers in building the “hope probe”, as they emphasized that the UAE can build the next probe with Emirati competencies and expertise. This means that we have already put our feet on the first thresholds of the glory ladder in the space field, and we have successfully passed the stage of participation with Global expertise in the aerospace industry, a stage usually known to all the major powers that preceded us in this field. China for instance, participated in its beginnings with Russian experts in the manufacture of spacecrafts and in planning for spacecraft trips and their launch to space, a field characterized by great scientific complexity and full of challenges because the possibilities of failure of launch flights are no less than the chances of success and may rather often exceed them. Nonetheless, it remains an inspiring field because failure in it carries a lot of lessons and experiences that open the way to upcoming successes. So it is indeed an area that creates hope and opens the way for the future and contributes to strengthening the determination and will of States as long as they possess patience, knowledge and faith in what they intend to achieve, in addition to the returns and benefits this field carries for all humanity.
The first message the “hope probe” captured a million kilometers away from the Earth’s surface, a picture of its destination for the Red Planet, taken with the devices that track the stars attached to the satellite’s navigation devices of the probe, was very remarkable. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President of the State, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, May God preserve him, commented on the picture saying, “The universe is so wide... Creation is so great ... and the Creator is so close.” It is an inspiring message for the people of the whole world that demonstrates the strength of the faith of our wise leadership in a leading scientific role that contributes to Humanity advancement and civilization. The Emirates have a clear agenda and goals for global competitiveness in all developmental fields, and they move in this direction with the confidence, will and strength of hope embodied by this probe, which is now swimming in space, seeking to achieve a scientific glory recorded for the UAE and all Arabs.