DUBAI // The UAE will need to look closely at how it can best use its space mission to help push forward humanity’s understanding of Mars, as well as our own planet, experts say.
The country’s new space agency will need to discuss with the international community the gaps that still exist in research surrounding the red planet, weighing the merits of each potential objective against the demands it will likely place on mission design.
A Mars orbiter can typically carry up to three payloads, each representing a unique scientific experiment.
The 2001 Mars Odyssey mission was orientated around detecting potential water in the Martian soil, mapping the surface and the source of any minerals, and recording the radiation in a low orbit to determine the risk to humans of any future manned mission.
Abdul Ismail, chief executive of UK-based consultancy Interplantery Expeditions, said it was important to choose a payload wisely.
“As for the payload, it would be advisable to determine a gap in knowledge by first finding out what other space agencies have done and what they plan to do,” said Mr Ismail, a trustee for the International Space University. “That way, a UAE Mars mission can aspire to acquire data which has not been collected before and by doing so, making an original contribution to knowledge.
“But a spacecraft has limited mass so payloads and experiments have to be chosen wisely. Many universities and research laboratories bid to have their experiments and payloads on spacecraft and a large percentage fail.”
He personally hoped the UAE would include instruments to detect metals such as aluminium and magnesium, which could be used as a fuel for a potential return mission.
Other ideas include examining meteorite craters on Mars’ surface to assess the threat to Earth, as well as a better examination of the planet’s magnetic fields.
One idea that has started to gain traction involves deploying balloons to the low atmosphere of Mars, which would be used to gather detailed images of the surface.
Former commander Chris Hadfield, a Canadian astronaut, said the objective that was ultimately chosen would determine the design of the spacecraft, which would in turn impact the whole mission plan.
“Once you’ve determined the actual purposes of the satellite, everything else is a daughter of that,” he said. “How big does it need to be, how much power does it need, how much data does it need to send back to the world, what type of communications do we need.
“Once you know what experiments you will need to do, you have to design the rest of the mission as a platform to support that.”
mcroucher@thenational.ae
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Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Hidden killer
Sepsis arises when the body tries to fight an infection but damages its own tissue and organs in the process.
The World Health Organisation estimates it affects about 30 million people each year and that about six million die.
Of those about three million are newborns and 1.2 are young children.
Patients with septic shock must often have limbs amputated if clots in their limbs prevent blood flow, causing the limbs to die.
Campaigners say the condition is often diagnosed far too late by medical professionals and that many patients wait too long to seek treatment, confusing the symptoms with flu.
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Score
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
New Zealand lead three-match ODI series 1-0
Next match: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Friday
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
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BORDERLANDS
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Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
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