UAE Hope probe to arrive at Red Planet within two months


Sarwat Nasir
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The UAE mission to Mars is reaching a milestone, with less than 50 days remaining until the Hope probe arrives.

Next month, Emirati engineers at Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre’s ground control will begin preparations for orbit insertion, the most challenging part of the journey.

The Hope spacecraft, which will study Mars' upper and lower atmospheres, is scheduled to arrive at the planet on February 9 at 7.42pm, Gulf Standard Time.

"We are getting closer to the space and we are concluding any activities we have by January, because after that, we have to fully prepare for the Mars orbit insertion phase, which is a very critical phase," Hessa Al Matroushi, science data and analysis lead for the mission, told The National.

The mission was launched on July 20 from Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan. If successful, the UAE will become the first Arab nation and only fifth country to reach Mars.

The spacecraft will use three instruments – an exploration imager, ultraviolet spectrometer and an infrared spectrometer – to carry out its scientific tasks.

For the past few months, the mission has been in cruise phase. The probe has covered more than 388,200,000 kilometres so far, and only about 92.2 million kilometres remain.

“During the cruise phase, we are checking the instruments we have on board the Hope probe, and we’re checking the spacecraft’s health and how it operates,” Ms Matroushi said.

The team began gathering scientific data earlier than expected.

A navigational camera on the probe that tracks stars, helping the spacecraft to stay on its path, was used to study interplanetary dust.

Emirati scientists are already analysing the data gathered. The findings will be combined with data being collected by European Space Agency’s BepiColombo spacecraft, which is en route to Mercury.

Scientists and astronomers believe interplanetary dust played an important role in the formation of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago.

The new data will help them study dust density and its distribution throughout the solar system.

But Hope's main scientific mission is to study why gases, specifically hydrogen and oxygen, are leaking from the Mars atmosphere.

Emirati scientists with the mission will be using the ultraviolet spectrometer to take a photo of Mars as it gets closer to orbit, allowing them to analyse gases around it.

The early measurements will help them prepare for more thorough research once it reaches the science orbit, when it will spend two years gathering extensive data.

“This will give us more information about hydrogen and oxygen distributions, especially around Mars,” Ms Al Matroushi said.

“We’re cruising Mars from afar, but we would still be able to see the hydrogen and oxygen around it. That would be very beneficial for us, because it will enable us to characterise the instrument better, making observations earlier than needed.

“By doing that we are trying to understand how our instrumentation works, and to verify our data pipeline processing that we are preparing.”

This means they will have the required algorithms in place to more accurately and efficiently process the data that comes later from the science orbit.

All the data gathered by UAE Mars mission will be available online free of charge. A dedicated website, the Science Data Centre of the Emirates Mars Mission, has been set up and will go live in due course.

Scientists believe Mars contained ancient life – in pictures

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
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  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

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What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt

Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017

Based: Dubai, UAE

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Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers

Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised

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UAE players with central contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

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The Gandhi Murder
  • 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
  • 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
  • 7 - million dollars, the film's budget 
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Director: Christian Carion

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

Rating: 2/5

Results

Stage 5:

1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Jumbo-Visma  04:19:08

2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates  00:00:03

3. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers

4. Sergio Higuita (COL) EF Education-Nippo 00:00:05

5. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:06

General Classification:

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 17:09:26

2.  Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers 00:00:45

3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:01:12

4. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma 00:01:54

5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo 00:01:56

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Profile

Name: Carzaty

Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar

Launched: 2017

Employees: 22

Based: Dubai and Muscat

Sector: Automobile retail

Funding to date: $5.5 million

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Batti Gul Meter Chalu

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Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
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Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi

“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets