Mars mission inspires UAE students to reach for the impossible

Abu Dhabi - Students across the country are glued to their newsfeeds, following the final steps being taken for the launch.

One of the ultimate goals of the Emirates Mars Mission is to inspire the next generation of Arab space scientists - and that goal was clearly achieved even before Hope probe blasts off to space. Students across the country are glued to their newsfeeds on Sunday, following the final steps being taken for the launch. 
Mohammed Abdullah, an 18-year-old Emirati student, said the mission to Mars shows how the UAE is determined to turn its dreams into reality.
"This is really a great milestone. It shows how great and ambitious our leaders are. The mission to Mars clearly indicates how passionate Emiratis are about learning new things," said Abdullah, who just completed grade 12 and looking forward to pursuing a computer science and statistics course at the university.
"This is an inspiration to us, the young generation, and we have learnt from this that everything is possible. It will encourage us seek for more knowledge."
The UAE's Hope probe is slated for lift-off at 1.58am on Monday, after being delayed twice because of adverse weather conditions at launch site on Tanegashima Island in Japan. (See KT's complete coverage of the Emirates Mars Mission.)
Omar Mohammed, a 17-year-old Egyptian student in Dubai, said the mission is something the enire Arab world is proud of. 
"We feel so happy about the country's mission to the space. This is something that seemed to be impossible but with the great courage and being ambitious, the mission will happen just hours from now," said Mohammed, who seeks to pursue aerospace engineering. 
"This historic mission shows that we, the Arabs, can cross the limits and even reach out to the space through learning, research and ambition. I wish the Emirati scientists on the mission great luck."

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