Oman has announced plans to build a Space Settlement Centre for research and simulation missions. Here is a rendering of the structure. Photo: Oman News Agency
Oman has announced plans to build a Space Settlement Centre for research and simulation missions. Here is a rendering of the structure. Photo: Oman News Agency
Oman has announced plans to build a Space Settlement Centre for research and simulation missions. Here is a rendering of the structure. Photo: Oman News Agency
Oman has announced plans to build a Space Settlement Centre for research and simulation missions. Here is a rendering of the structure. Photo: Oman News Agency

Oman to build space research centre for simulation missions and experiments


Sarwat Nasir
  • English
  • Arabic

Oman has announced plans to build a space research centre for simulation missions and science experiments.

A rendering of a futuristic type of habitat, called Space Settlement Centre, was revealed on Tuesday along with the announcement.

It will be built in the Artificial Intelligence Zone in the Duqm district, over an area of 20,000 square metres.

A land lease agreement was signed between the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones and Global Space and Technology Company.

Bahiya Al Shuaibi, founder of Oman’s Global Space and Technology Company, said the centre would help scientists to carry out research projects.

"The project aims to simulate a space environment to study the behaviour of astronauts before joining the actual astronaut flights,” she said.

“It will serve scientists, researchers and those interested in doing experiments in the space sector, artificial intelligence and advanced technology.”

The project will also help to establish training programmes with international institutions.

The timeline and cost of the project was not revealed.

The UAE announced plans to build a similar structure, called the Mars Science City, in 2017.

However, progress on the Dh500 million project slowed as the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre was trying to secure land.

Adnan Al Rais, project manager of Mars 2117 at the space centre, told The National last year that the land at the Dubai Academic City had finally been secured, and that construction would begin at the end of 2022.

Space habitats help researchers to carry out simulation missions, where volunteers live in isolation for days, weeks or months to perform a mock space mission ― also known as analogue missions.

This helps to measure the effects on their psychological and physiological health during isolation, research that could help astronauts who will one day go on long-duration space missions.

Saleh Al Ameri, an Emirati mechanical engineer, was the first Arab astronaut to complete an analogue mission.

He spent eight months in a Russian facility with an international crew of five.

With the UAE and Oman building space research centres with analogue facilities, it could help boost the space sector in the Middle East significantly, helping bring researchers from all over the world.

Currently, only a few space agencies, such as Nasa and Russia's Roscosmos have analogue facilities, while private players have carried out analogue experiments in places such as Greenland and Israel.

UAE analogue astronaut Saleh Al Ameri - in pictures

War

Director: Siddharth Anand

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor

Rating: Two out of five stars 

FIGHT%20CARD
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

MATCH INFO

Everton 2 Southampton 1
Everton: Walcott (15'), Richarlison (31' )
Southampton: Ings (54')

Man of the match: Theo Walcott (Everton)

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Company Profile

Company name: Yeepeey

Started: Soft launch in November, 2020

Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani

Based: Dubai

Industry: E-grocery

Initial investment: $150,000

Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo

Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm

Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km

Price: from Dh285,000

On sale: from January 2022 

MATCH INFO

Real Madrid 2

Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')

Barcelona 0

The%20specs
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What is graphene?

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.

It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties. 

 

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White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

Updated: September 20, 2022, 12:04 PM