It was a simple photograph that framed the magnitude of what the UAE accomplished.
An Emirati grandmother, wearing a traditional face covering, held up a sign in Arabic that said: "We've reached Mars."
The image showed how far the country had come by sending a probe to the Red Planet this year.
Hope entered the Martian orbit on February 9 and the event electrified every generation of Emirati society, including the elderly.
The image quickly went viral on social media and even encouraged a light-hearted discussion about when Emirati grandmothers would go to Mars.
The picture of Khusaibah Al Dahmani, 70, was taken by Emirati photographer Alia Al Joker. Ms Al Dahmani is the mother of Ms Al Joker's best friend.
Ms Al Dahmani is wearing traditional clothing and is standing in front of a Sidr tree. It is this contrast of culture and heritage and the fact the UAE sent a probe to Mars that made the image so remarkable.
Elderly women from all over the Gulf congratulated Ms Al Dahmani on the UAE's accomplishment and asked jokingly whether they could go to Mars as well.
"I enjoy being photographed and loved being part of this," said Ms Al Dahmani, who is from Fujairah.
"Women our age should be out there and show our culture and our traditions."
Ms Al Joker, who is from Dubai, says she is not a professional photographer.
"I just enjoy what I am doing and enjoy telling the stories of people," she said.
“Around 34 per cent of the people who took part in the Mars mission are women and I wanted to show the part they played.
"We owe it all to our leadership and to our mothers and grandmothers for their support and guidance. Without them we wouldn’t have been able to achieve anything."
The UAE selected two more Emiratis to be part of its astronaut corps, including the Arab world's first female astronaut.
The tree Ms Dahmani was standing beside when the picture was taken is revered in the UAE and Ms Al Joker said such traditions are important.
"Everything in the photo means and symbolises something, whether it is from the burqa to the jalabiya [traditional dress] she is wearing, to the traditional jewellery," she said.
Another image of Ms Al Dahmani that proved popular showed her with a sign that said: "We've started to operate Barakah."
That refers to the nuclear power plant that started commercial operations this month. Ms Al Dahmani is wearing white in the image as a symbol of clean energy.
"This is a segment of society that is dear to us all," Ms Al Joker said.
"They hold in them the knowledge of our culture and traditions, which must be preserved. They have many stories to share.
"I have a saying: 'A strong future depends on strong roots.'"
Pupils watch the UAE's journey to space - in pictures
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Children wore astronaut jumpsuits during the live screening of Maj Al Mansouri's launch to space in September, 2019. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Maj Hazza Al Mansouri launched into space on September 25, 2019 -
A pupil wearing UAE astronaut inspired t-shirt while attending the live screening of Maj Al Mansouri's launch. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Another pupil at the live screening of Maj Al Mansouri's launch to the International Space Station. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Another child wears an astronaut jumpsuit during the live screening. Chris Whiteoak / The National
