The UAE will on Friday mark three years since its Hope probe reached Mars, the moment when the Emirates become the first Arab nation to place a craft in the Red Planet's orbit and only the fifth worldwide.
Hope, a craft the size of a small car, entered orbit on February 9, 2021, and has since been capturing data on the planet's atmosphere and on one of its moons, Deimos.
The observations have helped scientists all over the world to enhance their understanding of Mars, including how the planet, which is believed to have been habitable a long time ago, lost its atmosphere and can no longer support life.
Dr Dimitra Atri, a planetary scientist at the New York University Abu Dhabi, is one of the scientists who is using Hope's data, partly to create a global map of the planet.
"The remarkable camera of the EXI instrument, combined with the expansive coverage provided by the Hope probe, enabled us to create a stunning global mosaic and photographic atlas of Mars," he told The National.
"The enthusiasm displayed by both Emirati and international students for this research has been nothing short of inspiring.
"Their contributions working on Hope data have significantly enriched our understanding of Mars and raised new questions for researchers around the globe."
Landmark observations
Dr Atri's mapping efforts have been integrated into the Mars24 software, which was developed by Nasa's Goddard Institute of Space Studies, and JMars, essential tools used by Mars researchers.
Hope offered unprecedented global coverage of the planet's atmosphere, revealing the intricacies of daily and seasonal weather cycles.
This was possible thanks to the unique orbit in which the craft was placed, allowing it to "see" the planet from a much higher vantage point than previous Mars missions.
One of the key findings was the observation of elusive auroras, known as the discrete aurora.
These are unique phenomenon in the Martian atmosphere, which help to provide insight into the interactions between solar particles and the planet's magnetic fields.
"It helped in shedding light on the mechanisms potentially responsible for the erosion of its atmosphere," Dr Atri said.
"This erosion led to the transformation of Mars from a once Earth-like planet to the cold, arid desert landscape we observe today."
Hope tracked a massive dust storm on Mars for more than two weeks, monitoring how quickly they can sweep across the planet.
It followed a rapidly evolving regional dust storm in December 2021, as it expanded to a width of several thousand kilometres.
Scientists hope by studying such weather patterns they can gain deeper insight into how they are drying out the planet by helping Martian water escape the planet's atmosphere.
Viral image of Deimos
In February 2023, the UAE Space Agency decided to move the Hope probe to a new orbit around Mars to study one of the planet’s tiny moons.
Deimos, with a radius of only 6.2km, is the smaller of the two moons that orbit the Red Planet.
The agency released a striking image of the moon in April, offering invaluable data on its orbit, surface features and composition.
Billionaire Elon Musk congratulated the UAE on his platform X, formerly Twitter, on the findings after an influencer shared a story by The National.
Future of Hope probe and lasting legacy
It was announced in February 2023 that the country's Mars mission would be extended by one more year.
But the agency could decide to keep the mission going, depending on operational budgets and the health of the spacecraft.
Even if the mission ends, the Hope probe has played a significant role in helping to shape the country's space programme.
The public-private partnership model that was used during the mission will be used to help develop the nation's next big project – a mission to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Many universities across the country are now offering space-focused programmes.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Roll of honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia Premiership season?
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Cup - Winners: Bahrain; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy - Winners: Dubai Hurricanes; Runners up: DSC Eagles
Final West Asia Premiership standings - 1. Jebel Ali Dragons; 2. Abu Dhabi Harlequins; 3. Bahrain; 4. Dubai Exiles; 5. Dubai Hurricanes; 6. DSC Eagles; 7. Abu Dhabi Saracens
Fixture (UAE Premiership final) - Friday, April 13, Al Ain – Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus
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The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte
Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000
Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm
Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm
Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:
Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Second leg:
Monday, Azizi Stadium, Tehran. Kick off 7pm
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
