The meeting discussed the latest developments in the science of the Emirates Mars Mission and its instruments
The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) Hope Probe’s science team held their annual Fall Science Team meeting in Dubai with the attendance and participation of faculty and students from the UAE’s universities on November 6th to 8th 2023 with the aim of sharing updates on the latest status of the mission’s instruments, science, and data, and fostering closer collaboration.
The meeting was attended by the science team members of the Emirate Mars Mission which includes members from the UAE and international knowledge partners, as well as the attendance of faculty members, PhD students, researchers, and trainees from Khalifa University, UAE University (UAEU), New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), the American University of Sharjah (AUS), and the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology (SAASST).
The meeting aimed to discuss the latest developments in the Emirates Mars Mission Hope Probe and in the scientific instruments, and present the latest Martian discoveries. Topics ranged from daily cycles of CO2 frost on the surface, to seasonal inflation of the thin envelope of hydrogen gas at the top of the atmosphere. The meeting also aimed to enhance joint efforts between local and international institutions, and increase the participation of UAE universities to bolster their contributions and nurture their understanding to engage with and support the mission.
The UAE launched the Emirates Mars Mission Hope Probe, the first Arab and Islamic probe to Mars, in July 2020, making it one of only nine countries to explore Mars. With the ninth batch of data, the Emirates Mars Mission Hope Probe revealed a total of 3.3 terabytes of data on the atmosphere of the planet Mars through the Science Data Center.
Since its arrival in orbit, the Emirates Mars Mission has made significant contributions to the scientific community, publishing 19 new research papers in esteemed international journals since the beginning of the mission. The Hope Probe has also succeeded in achieving historic achievements, as it captured unprecedented observations of new types of Martian aurora and the smaller Mars moon "Deimos".