UAE space centre teams up with universities to boost Moon mission goals


Sarwat Nasir
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The UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre is collaborating with local and international universities to carry out its lunar mission’s science goals.

With the launch of the Rashid rover, a small 10-kilogram lunar vehicle, less than one year away, the team is finalising its scientific objectives.

The partners will help develop the main instruments on board the rover, including the Langmuir probe – an instrument that measures plasma – data collection, landing site research, calibration strategies and data analysis.

One of the new partners is New York University Abu Dhabi, which will work on the microscopic camera calibration and investigate the interaction of the rover's surface materials with the solar radiation.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX will carry the mission into space from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre on a Falcon 9 rocket, then a Japanese private company called iSpace will carry the rover to the lunar surface.

“The partnership with local and international partners demonstrates the possibilities that the Emirates Lunar Mission’s science programme offers academia,” said Salem Al Marri, director general of the space centre.

“Students and early researchers are already participating in the development of this lunar rover project and are contributing to making qualitative developments in the fields of science, communication technologies and robotics.

“Furthermore, the impact of these developments will extend beyond the space sector and into various vital sectors in the UAE and around the world.”

The UAE is launching a mission to the Moon to study the properties of regolith, or lunar soil, and the thermal properties of the surface.

Rashid’s four wheels will have different materials attached to them to see how each interacts with the regolith.

The experiment could help space agencies develop better spacesuits for future astronauts, because lunar soil sticks to almost everything and posed a major challenge during the Apollo missions.

MBRSC has also partnered with France’s Centre for Petrographic and Geochemical Research at Universite de Lorraine to study the conditions of the landing sites and analyse data retrieved from the rover’s microscopic imager.

The imager will take high-resolution photos of the lunar surface, giving scientists a view of the undisturbed, topmost layer of the regolith.

This could provide clues to the evolution and formation of the lunar surface.

Another partnership was formed with the University of Oslo in Norway, where a team is developing the Langmuir probes that will study the plasma around the Moon.

Data from the instrument could help scientists understand how charged particles interact with the lunar surface.

It is believed this interaction lifts dust particles and carries them for certain distances.

MBRSC said an international team of researchers was necessary to meet the demanding requirements for the mission, including the development of the rover and science instruments.

It was previously announced that the French space agency is providing the mission with two optical cameras that are crucial to the project.

Airbus Defence and Space is providing the materials that will be attached to Rashid’s wheels.

Meet the designer of the UAE's lunar mission logo - in pictures

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What is a credit score?

In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.

Why is it important?

Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.

How is it calculated?

The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.

How can I improve my score?

By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.

How do I know if my score is low or high?

By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.

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A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.

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While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

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Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a  month before Reaching the Last Mile.

Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


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Updated: December 16, 2021, 8:13 AM