-     Abdullah bin Zayed highlights role of Arab and Islamic civilization in human progress

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre and general supervisor of all projects of the Centre and its strategic and development plans, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) launched the first edition of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre Science Event (MBRSC Science Event).  His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chairman of the Education and Human Resources Council delivered a keynote speech at the inauguration of the event where he highlighted the different phases of development that human knowledge has gone through, focusing on the contribution of Arab and Islamic civilizations.

During the event, held at the Etihad Museum under the theme ‘Through Space we Flourish’, Sheikh Abdullah said that Arab and Muslim ideas have inspired others, and their contributions were often the starting point for the work of other major inventors in history.

His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed also highlighted the scientific and technological breakthroughs in the last ten years, mainly in the information technology sector, which paved the way to the creation of social media and artificial intelligence, and enhanced the development of virtual reality and 3D printing, among other new technological tools. He also said that the idea of the ‘spirit of the century’ put forward by many philosophers and thinkers simply means that every century has its own scientific, social, political, economic and cultural character. People who have been successful and influential are those that have understood the spirit of their century; while those who lived in the past have tried to impose it on the present and always failed.

Sheikh Abdullah also said that while it is important to draw lessons from the past, it is also vital to focus on the future. Science is the spirit of our century, he said, adding that humanity is on the threshold of a major leap forward amid the growing interest in science and space technology.

Sheikh Hamdan and Sheikh Abdullah also attended various sessions that were organised on the sidelines of the event. One of the sessions they attended was a presentation by HE Sarah Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences and Deputy Project Manager, Science Lead of the Emirates Mars Mission gave an overview of the scientific objectives of the project, explaining how the Hope Probe will study the atmosphere of Mars that lies thousands of kilometers away.

Amiri stated that the Hope Probe mission will investigate why the Mars atmosphere is losing hydrogen and oxygen gases, and what the connection is between the lower and upper atmospheres of Mars. She also highlighted the main features of the three scientific instruments used in the probe and why they were selected and what data they would collect and transmit to Earth.

Amiri shared information on how the probe will manoeuvre into Mars’ wide elliptic orbit, between 22,000 and 44,000 km away from the Martian surface, enabling us to provide the first global picture of how the Martian atmosphere changes throughout the day, and between seasons. Amiri added: "One of the most important goals of the Hope mission is to build a generation of national experts in different areas of science. The project includes initiatives aimed at raising students’ awareness about the work environment in scientific research, in addition to workshops on space and planetary science. It currently includes a group of researchers and scientists who work on a knowledge transfer programme, sharing their knowledge on scientific analysis methods."

The Science Event is a proactive initiative by MBRSC, consisting of a variety of scientific and technological workshops and activities to nurture the culture of research and exploration in the UAE. The event, which reflects the Centre’s strategic objectives for developing national capabilities in science, space and advanced technology, played host to nearly 36 local and international researchers and experts in space, science and technology.

The MBRSC Science Event includes 29 lectures, discussion panels and sessions covering various topics related to space research and technology, as well as awareness activities to promote a culture of research, development and exploration. The event was attended by more than 800 university and school students, teachers, professors, researchers, and members of the public with an interest in science and space.

There were 31 speakers from MBRSC, the academic sector and scientific community who presented research and scientific papers on various aspects of space science and technology, in addition to sharing their scientific and engineering expertise in various UAE space missions and programmes. These included the Emirates Mars Mission - Hope mission, KhalifaSat, the Mars 2117 Program, and the NanoSatellite Outreach Program (NSOP).

The Centre also showcased an experiment on planting vegetable seeds in Martian sand simulant. The experiment is aimed at monitoring growth and production rates and comparing it with production rates and times on Earth. Students received planters with seeds, fertilizer, and Martian simulant to conduct this experiment in their homes. They will document and share their results with the Centre’s team through reports and pictures. This test was a continuation to the Mars Simulation Program. The Science Event also offered a unique opportunity for the audience to taste a variety of foods consumed by astronauts of the International Space Station.

The event was attended by Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future HE Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi; Minister of Education HE Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi; Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills and Chairman of the UAE Space Agency HE Dr. Ahmad bin Abdulla Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi. The event featured 1,600 attendees who included local and international experts and researchers.