As the Hope probe marks three years orbiting Mars, the UAE’s journey into space can be traced back to the 1970s.
UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, had a series of meetings with American astronauts and Nasa officials during this period.
The most memorable came in 1976, when three astronauts who had taken part in a unique collaboration with the then-Soviet Union and the US came to Abu Dhabi to give Sheikh Zayed a first glimpse of the new Space Shuttle.
One of those astronauts, Thomas P Stafford, died last week at the age of 93, after a long and distinguished career that saw him continue his interest in the UAE space programme.
He met the country’s first astronaut, Hazza Al Mansouri, on the eve of Sultan Al Neyadi's mission to the International Space Station last March.
A peacemaker
A retired US Air Force general and a veteran of the Gemini space programme of the mid 1960s, Lt Gen Stafford was the commander of a three-man crew that docked an Apollo spacecraft with a Russian Soyuz capsule as it orbited the Earth in July 1975.
The mission was intended as a gesture of detente, watched live by millions on TV at the height of the Cold War, and remains his legacy.
Reflecting on his death, Nasa administrator Bill Nelson called him "a peacemaker in Apollo Soyuz".
"Those of us privileged to know him are very sad, but grateful we knew a giant," he said.
Meeting Sheikh Zayed
A year after the link-up with the Russians, Lt Gen Stafford flew to Abu Dhabi with crew members Deke Slayton and Vance Brand for a meeting with Sheikh Zayed. They brought with them a model of the Space Shuttle, which would follow the Apollo missions in 1981.
The meeting, and two which preceded it, were arranged by the American-Egyptian scientist Dr Farouk El-Baz, then working for Nasa.
Dr El-Baz first met Sheikh Zayed 50 years ago, presenting him with a detailed map of the lunar surface, and again in 1975, when he was accompanied by an American astronaut, thought to be James Irwin, the eighth person to walk on the Moon in the Apollo 15 mission.
Dr El-Baz spoke of Sheikh Zayed and his interest in space exploration at a talk given to the Emirates Literature Foundation in 2020, saying the UAE Founding Father was fascinated by the model of the Space Shuttle and "asked a lot of interesting questions. I was very delighted to meet him early in the game".
The historic 1976 meeting in Abu Dhabi is incorporated into the design of the latest Dh1,000 bank note ($272), with a portrait of Sheikh Zayed taken from the official photograph of the 1976 meeting, next to images of the Nasa Space Shuttle and the UAE’s Hope probe.
The Apollo legacy
Lt Gen Stafford’s death means only seven of the 24 astronauts who flew to the Moon from 1969 to 1972 are still alive. He was one of the crew of Apollo 10, a dress rehearsal for the Apollo 11 landings in July 1969.
Apollo 10 orbited the Moon and tested the lunar lander in space, setting a speed record of 39,897kph on the return to Earth. He was chosen again to command the Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975.
In private, both countries had reservations about the design of their respective craft but these were settled with the joint development of a docking system called the Androgynous Peripheral Attach System, or Apas 75, carried into space by a Saturn V rocket, left over, like the Apollo capsule, from the Moon landing programme.
The American and Russian capsules linked up on July 17, 1975, with Lt Gen Stafford shaking hands with his counterpart Alexei Leonov thorough the Apas airlock.
Lt Gen Stafford’s crewmates were Vance Brand and Deke Slayton, who also met Sheikh Zayed. Maj Brand, 92, who later commanding three Space Shuttle missions, is still living. Maj Slayton died in 1993 and may be best remembered for his part in the Apollo 13 rescue, with his role as director of flight crew operations played by the actor Chris Ellis in the 1995 Apollo 13 film with Tom Hanks.
That first joint mission between the US and Russia can today be seen as the inspiration for the International Space Station, with astronauts from many countries, including the UAE, working together, peacefully, in the name of science.
Nasa's Emirati graduates complete training - in pictures
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Related
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Results
2.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner Lamia, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner Jap Al Afreet, Elione Chaves, Irfan Ellahi.
3.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner MH Tawag, Bernardo Pinheiro, Elise Jeanne.
4pm Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner Skygazer, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
4.30pm The Ruler of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh250,000 1,700m
Winner AF Kal Noor, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
5pm Sharjah Marathon (PA) Dh70,000 2,700m
Winner RB Grynade, Bernardo Pinheiro, Eric Lemartinel.
Afro%20salons
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFor%20women%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESisu%20Hair%20Salon%2C%20Jumeirah%201%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EBoho%20Salon%2C%20Al%20Barsha%20South%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EMoonlight%2C%20Al%20Falah%20Street%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFor%20men%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMK%20Barbershop%2C%20Dar%20Al%20Wasl%20Mall%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3ERegency%20Saloon%2C%20Al%20Zahiyah%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EUptown%20Barbershop%2C%20Al%20Nasseriya%2C%20Sharjah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Small%20Things%20Like%20These
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Tim%20Mielants%3Cbr%3ECast%3A%20Cillian%20Murphy%2C%20Emily%20Watson%2C%20Eileen%20Walsh%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
India Test squad
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Vijay, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Croatia v Hungary, Thursday, 10.45pm, UAE
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Brighton, Sunday, 6pm UAE
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10
*November 15 to November 24
*Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
*Tickets: Start at Dh10, from ttensports.com
*TV: Ten Sports
*Streaming: Jio Live
*2017 winners: Kerala Kings
*2018 winners: Northern Warriors
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
