Friday was a tragic day for Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic. After nearly a decade of research, its prototype spacecraft crashed during a test flight, killing one of the pilots and critically injuring the other. The accident – provisionally attributed to an "in-flight anomaly" – is a serious blow to an industry on the verge of taking to the edge of space anyone able to afford the $250,000 [Dh918,000] fee. Some in the UAE have signed up.
This was not the only bad news for the space industry in recent months. A NASA rocket scheduled to deliver cargo to the International Space Station blew up on take-off last week. Falcon 9 – a pilotless spacecraft designed to reduce the costs of space travel by delivering a payload in space and then landing back on Earth upright and ready for rapid reuse – crashed during a test flight in August.
These events, along with the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters, show that space travel remains a difficult and undertested realm that is pushing the boundaries of technology. After the Virgin Galactic incident, some observers were predicting doom for space tourism. Will Sir Richard’s dream really perish? It’s unlikely.
For generations, space travel was the stuff of science fiction. Then the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States from 1955 saw a surge in development, culminating in landing men on the Moon in1969. It reflects the human trait to push limits and test boundaries, using ingenuity to tackle profound challenges. What was achieved was truly mind-boggling.
The early days of space exploration in the 1950s and 1960s saw more than their share of failures. This was, after all, rocket science – and these early craft had less computing power than can be found in a Dh100 mobile phone today.
The nature of this quest is why reaching the Moon did not mean the end of space exploration, with many countries – including the UAE – setting their sights on Mars. This involves risk and the possibility of failure but it says much about human nature that failure is seen as a lesson from which success will eventually come.
SPECS
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
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