Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership
December 11, 2022
The moon has a tantalising relationship with humanity. It has lured our imaginations into its orbit for millennia, but only in the past century have we managed to extend our reach far enough to touch its surface. The first lunar footprint, made by Neil Armstrong in 1969, was a turning point for our species.
These days, Earth’s lifeless satellite is the domain of robots and rovers, technological surrogates for our lofty ambition. The latest of these, the UAE’s Rashid Rover, successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday – a day which also happens to mark 50 years since the lunar landing of Apollo 17, the last time humans visited the moon.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, who was in the control room to watch the successful launch, said: "reaching the moon is another milestone in the ambitious march of a country and a nation whose aspirations have no limits."
"Passing on knowledge, developing our capabilities, and adding a scientific footprint in human history is or goal," said Sheikh Mohammed.
The Rashid rover, designed and built over five years at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai, weighs just 10 kilograms. Its slight physique, however, belies its hefty scientific value. The rover’s primary mission, assisted by a specialised probe, is to study lunar dust.
The Rashid Rover is also significant for more earthly reasons
As the Apollo astronauts first discovered, this toxic, silicate-rich layer of particles poses a significant challenge for manned lunar missions. As fine as powder but sharp as glass, it has the power to corrode equipment and eat away at space suits over time. Scientists worry that future plans to establish a permanent presence on the moon could be compromised by these particles. The constant bombardment of the lunar surface by solar radiation causes them to become electrostatically charged, making them unusually “sticky”. When it makes its descent in about five months’ time, Rashid will endeavour to learn more about the dust’s qualities and help scientists understand what to do about them.
Rashid’s launch was made possible with the help of a Falcon 9 re-usable rocket from SpaceX, and the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander, built by the Japanese company Ispace. The lander’s payload, in addition to the Rashid rover, includes a Japanese robot and experimental equipment from Japanese and Canadian firms.
The mission’s timing in line with the Apollo 17 landing anniversary is coincidental – the December 11 launch date came after a delay – but fortuitous nonetheless. It underscores the fact that this mission is ultimately about getting people back to the moon, and not just temporarily. As Takeshi Hakamada, Ispace’s chief executive, remarked before the launch, the mission represents the “dawn of the lunar economy”. One day, Ispace hopes to see permanent human settlements on the moon – a critical stepping stone to the UAE’s vision to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars by 2117.
The Rashid Rover is also significant for more earthly reasons. Sunday’s lunar mission is the first in the Arab world’s history. When it reaches its destination, it will have participated in the first controlled moon landing ever undertaken completed a private company. If terrestrial benefits from a “lunar economy” are ever to be realised, it will be critical for countries around the world – including those in the Middle East – to get involved, and for them to do so in partnership with the private sector.
As the renowned cosmologist and astrophysicist Martin Rees wrote in The National in November, “the romance of human spaceflight is undimmed”, but the use of rovers will prove instrumental in ensuring that such dreams can be achieved in a new chapter of space exploration safely. The Rashid rover is only the latest small step, but it is a step taken very much with the giant leap in mind.
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards by claiming to be the victim, often pretending their phone has been lost or stolen in order to secure a new Sim.
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Full list of Emmy 2020 nominations
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
OUTSTANDING VARIETY/TALK SERIES
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Jimmy Kimmel Live Last Week Tonight with John Oliver The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria
OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Masked Singer
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
The Good Place
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
What We Do In The Shadows
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession
RESULT
Manchester City 5 Swansea City 0
Man City: D Silva (12'), Sterling (16'), De Bruyne (54' ), B Silva (64' minutes), Jesus (88')
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
A Prayer Before Dawn
Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai
