As scientists and astronauts focus on troubleshooting the tangible challenges of space exploration, experts on ethics and theoretical quandaries gathered in Saudi Arabia asserted that space explorers should not forget humility.
This year's Riyadh Philosophy Conference was the optimal venue to address this human attribute, which some say is integral to a successful space expedition by the human race.
“Glory and power have been deciding factors in nations' quests to partake in space exploration, and both are detrimental to the altruistic focus of discovering other planets and becoming an interplanetary species”, said Dr Abdullah Al Ghathami, Prof of Criticism and Theory at King Saud University in Riyadh.
“Without a mechanism in place to keep these self-serving emotions in check, humanity may falter at the first step towards migrating to other planets in the future,” he said.
During his panel, titled “Humanity in space: glory or power,” Dr Al Ghathami lamented humans' desire to achieve success without taking a hard look at how that success is achieved.
When it comes to space, the final frontier, the need to justify the means can be more detrimental than useful, when nations' glory and power are involved.
It has been more than 60 years since space exploration began, yet ethics experts worry that competition for dominance remains. Political and technical power provided by acquiring space technology still serves as enticing reasons for new actors to join the space race.
The power struggle and glory of getting to the moon first clouded the bigger picture of why the human race should embark on an interstellar journey to explore space and beyond.
The space race was a period of competition from the 1950s to 1970s between the former Soviet Union and the US over who could conquer space exploration first. Glory and power went hand-in-hand during that period.
However, when the International Space Station (ISS) Programme was established, it became a testament to human's ability to focus on the bigger picture, to prolong the existence of the human race beyond Earth and to co-ordinate and monitor the varied activities of the Programme’s many organisations, made up of space agencies of the US, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.
This accomplishment has come under threat recently after Russia announced that it would quit the ISS after 2024 and build one of its own.
The floating science laboratory was always immune to political struggles on the ground, but relations between Roscosmos and the West have soured significantly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.
“The quest to dominate space needs to circle back and recall the first time humans saw Earth from above, a planet void of any borders and alliances, and revel in the wonders that exist beyond Earth,” Dr Jacques Arnould, Ethics Adviser at Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), told The National.
“Humility is the first lesson learnt as an astronaut and in space exploration.”
In his unique position as a full-time space ethics adviser, Dr Arnould reflected on the importance of space explorers acknowledging the insignificance of Earth in the limitless cosmos.
“We have the capability to know that and to develop the knowledge needed,” he said.
“ That's what gives the human race an edge.”
Moving beyond the early years of space enterprise, driven by proactive policies, nations must now adopt more reasonable goals, Dr Arnould said.
“Goals that factor in the consequences of actions, whether short- or long-term,” he said.
Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 has been helping to boost the local space sector. It is expected to create jobs in the field, and also reduce the country’s dependence on oil and diversify its economy.
Many Arab countries are increasing investment in space, such as the UAE, having sent a mission to Mars, an astronaut to the ISS, as well as launching domestically-built satellites and a long-term lunar exploration programme.
The Arab Space Co-operation Group was formed in March 2019 to help boost the contribution of Arab countries in the sector. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Iraq and Mauritania are members.
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Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
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Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
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The specs
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Tamkeen's offering
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
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Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
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Dragons
Tries: Hayes, Richards, Cooper
Cons: Love
Pens: Love 3
Bahrain
Tries: Kenny, Crombie, Tantoh
Cons: Phillips
Pens: Phillips 2
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Brief scoreline:
Tottenham 1
Son 78'
Manchester City 0
