November 9, 2021,

AURAK’s Center of Information, Communication and Networking Education and Innovation (ICONET) hosted, on November 8, 2021, the International Scientist Talk on the Emirates Mars Mission. The talk was delivered by two prominent speakers from Emirates Mars Mission; Eng Mohsen Al Awadhi, Mission Systems Engineer and the mission’s Science Phase Lead and Prof. Bruce Jakosky, Professor in Planetary Science and Associate Director for the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado.

The talk’s main purpose was promoting the development of the future generation’s scientific capabilities by collaborating with the university to show the students the wide range of important opportunities that lie within this field.

The speakers gave an interesting overview on the objectives, status, and findings of the Hope Emirates Mars Mission. They highlighted the importance of the measurements taken in helping us understand the Martian atmosphere, how habitable the red planet has been in the past (by observing microbes), and why it went from the warmer and wetter environment to the cold, dry environment we see today.  Prof. Jakosky discussed the potential for life on Mars (today and in the past), the history of the Martian climate, and the findings that are being made by Hope based on the data collected.

The presentation was highly inspiring, informative and educational for our aspiring students who attended and had the opportunity to satisfy their curiosity during a lively Q&A session towards the end of the event.