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.
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Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
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It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
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The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
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The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios Director: JP Dutta Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane Rating: 2/5
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
