UAE's Amal spacecraft rockets toward Mars in Arab world 1st

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By MARI YAMAGUCHI and VICTORIA MILKO

TOKYO (AP) — A United Arab Emirates spacecraft rocketed into blue skies from a Japanese launch center Monday at the start of a seven-month journey to Mars on the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission.

The liftoff of the Mars orbiter named Amal, or Hope, starts a rush to fly to Earth’s neighbor that is scheduled to be followed in the next few days by China and the United States.

At the space center in Dubai, people watching were transfixed by the liftoff, then cheered and clapped, with one woman with offering a celebratory cry common for weddings.

Amal blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center aboard a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ H-IIA rocket on time at 6:58 a.m. (2158 GMT Sunday) after being delayed five days by bad weather.



In this photo released by MHI, an H-IIA rocket with United Arab Emirates' Mars orbiter Hope lifts off from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southern Japan Monday, July 20, 2020. A United Arab Emirates spacecraft rocketed away Monday on a seven-month journey to Mars, kicking off the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission. (MHI via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/2ac2805903b50493f42081568755b2c4

[sandensea]

1. Meanwhile, the Pentagon "misplaces" $3 trillion (plus all of Cheeto's graft!)

And then people wonder why we can't get anything big done anymore.

[Arthur_Frain]

2. Anyone else a fan of Kim Stanley Robinson?

This is important. The "Red/Green/Blue Mars" trilogy was one of the most wonderful "hard" science fiction series I've read. Leaving aside the potentially workable science, the political intrigue he wove throughout the series was visionary.

Don't think for a moment that the first human biosphere isn't going to set the metric, it is. Technology is advancing so quickly now, that the self replicating construction robots Robinson envisioned are probably already off the drawing board. Who owns that biosphere is crucial.

I'm not doom and glooming about the demise of the earth in the series, although it's more than likely I suppose. The point is the new frontier, the new push outward by humanity, will be dominated by someone. Personally, I'd prefer it wasn't a theocracy, but that's just me.

[dalton99a]

3. Kick

[Steelrolled]

4. Not a good choice of name.

[denbot]

5. Why not?

Or am I missing something?

[Steelrolled]

7. Every time I glance at a headline about the Amal rocket

I makes me think of some fast acting colonic medication (I am kidding of course)

[lagomorph777]

8. The Amal probe plunging deeply into

space.

[denem]

6. OK. How about 'Change'?

"The audacity of hope".

[Mosby]

9. Congrats to Japan and Mitsubishi. nt

Last edited Tue Jul 21, 2020, 04:27 PM - Edit history (1)