ZCZC
BFF-34
UAE-SPACE-MARS
UAE’s ‘Hope’ probe sends home first image of Mars
DUBAI, Feb 14, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – The UAE’s “Hope” probe sent back its first
image of Mars, the national space agency said Sunday, days after the
spacecraft successfully entered the Red Planet’s orbit.
The picture “captured the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus
Mons, emerging into the early morning sunlight,” it said in a statement.
The image was taken from an altitude of 24,700 kilometres (15,300 miles)
above the Martian surface on Wednesday, a day after the probe entered Mars’
orbit, it said in a statement.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, UAE prime minister and Dubai’s
ruler, shared the coloured image on Twitter.
“The first picture of Mars captured by the first-ever Arab probe in
history,” he wrote.
The mission is designed to reveal the secrets of Martian weather, but the
UAE also wants it to serve as an inspiration for the region’s youth.
Hope became the first of three spacecraft to arrive at the Red Planet this
month after China and the US also launched missions in July, taking advantage
of a period when the Earth and Mars are nearest.
The UAE’s venture is also timed to mark the 50th anniversary of the
unification of the nation’s seven emirates.
“Hope” will orbit the Red Planet for at least one Martian year, or 687
days, using three scientific instruments to monitor the Martian atmosphere.
It is expected to begin transmitting more information back to Earth in
September 2021, with the data available for scientists around the world to
study.
BSS/AFP/SSS/2000 hrs