The UAE released the first photo of Mars returned by the Hope rover on February 14.
The UAE’s Mars rover Hope successfully entered Mars’ orbit on February 9 and took its first photo of the planet the following day, making the UAE the first Arab country to have a scientific instrument reach Mars for an exploration mission.
The photo, taken last Wednesday (10) from an altitude of 24,700 kilometers above the surface of Mars, captures a beautiful view of the planet as a yellow semicircle under the black curtain of space, the UAE Space Agency said in a statement.
The photo shows the early morning sun shining on Mars, with the planet’s north pole at the top left of the photo, while the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons, pokes its head out at the intersection of night and day in the middle, and the three volcanoes of the Tharsis Montes group at the far right dazzle against the mostly dust-free sky.
The first image of Mars returned by ‘Hope’ is a defining moment in our history, marking the UAE’s entry into the ranks of advanced nations involved in space exploration,” the UAE space agency tweeted on its official Twitter account. We hope that this mission will pass on new discoveries about Mars and benefit humanity.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, also shared the photo on Twitter, writing, “This is the first photo of Mars ever taken by the first probe in an Arab country.”
“The Hope probe successfully entered orbit around Mars on the 9th after a six-month journey of nearly 500 million kilometers, making the UAE the fifth country in the world to achieve this feat and the first for an Arab country.
The UAE’s HOPE probe successfully entered orbit around Mars on February 9.
“Hope will orbit Mars for at least one Martian year, equivalent to 687 days on Earth, and will use three scientific instruments to observe the Martian atmosphere. It is expected to return more information for global scientists to study starting this September.
“Launched on July 20, 2020 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, Japan, Kibo’s primary mission is to study the daily and seasonal changes in Mars’ climate and atmosphere, a topic that has never before been included in any Mars exploration program. Specifically, scientists hope to learn more about the causes and processes of air and moisture loss on Mars through this exploration.
“Hope’s arrival on Mars coincides with the 50th anniversary of the UAE. The country is already decorated and ready to celebrate this “national day dedication”.
Previously, only the United States, India, the former Soviet Union and the European Space Agency (ESA) Mars rovers had successfully reached their destination.
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