A private-sector bid to explore the moon is looking for UAE investors, its chairman said yesterday while outlining a vision to extend Earth's economic sphere of influence to its largest satellite.
Odyssey Moon is one of a number of ventures competing to win the US$20 million (Dh73.4m) Lunar X prize, which has been offered to the first private company to land a robotic rover on the moon, explore lunar territory and beam its findings back to Earth.
"The first era of aviation took us to 40km into the atmosphere and the era of satellite communications has taken us to 40,000," said Ramin Khadem, the chairman of Odyssey Moon. "My view, a lot of people's view, is that we are now going to get to 400,000km, to lunar orbit and beyond."
Mr Khadem, an Iranian-American who has worked with some of the world's largest aerospace businesses, said he would meet with a number of possible UAE investors for the mission during his stay in Dubai, where he spoke yesterday at the World Space Risk Forum.
"There are reasons why we should be tapping into the potential of the moon for the benefit of mankind," he said. "Finding water on the moon - massive amounts of water - was bigger than the gold find in California.
"The moon can be seen as part of our sphere of economic influence and, in due course, we'll see the moon as a sort of eighth continent."
But in the new private-sector race to the moon, space explorers will need to clear the crowded obstacle course of Earth's orbit.
A clear night sky might appear as a vision of serenity when viewed from Earth, but the final frontier is fast becoming a junk-filled minefield, one industry leader told yesterday's conference.
Along with at least $20 billion worth of satellites, space is home to more than 15,500 pieces of space junk, each orbiting at thousands of kilometres an hour and posing a serious threat to equipment and a deadly risk to astronauts.
"The 'big sky' theory that we have all relied on for a while does not hold," said Chris Kunstadter, a senior vice president at XL Insurance, a firm that insures space industry players. "There's a limited amount of space out there, and it is filling up."
tgara@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
What is double taxation?
- Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
Company%20Profile
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MATCH INFO
Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90 4')
Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')
Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
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