Emirati student's project of 'Mars city' catches Nasa's eye

Dubai - Saeed Hussain Kayyani and his peers created the city as a final project for their university.

An Emirati student's project of a miniature floating city designed for Mars caught the eye of Nasa, so he was invited to present it at one of their workshops.
Saeed Hussain Kayyani and his peers created the city as a final project for their university. They were tasked with designing an urban environment on the surface of Mars.
Kayyani has just received his Master's Degree of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture in California, US.
"Nasa representatives took an interest in our project because of the levitation and magnetism aspects of it. Basically, we designed a literal floating city," he said.
"The exhibition was coordinated by Mars City Design and hosted by Johnson Space Centre of Nasa in Houston. I and two other teammates visited again to participate in the workshop and network with several professionals that specialise in space colonisation.
"These professionals from around the world include space nutrition experts, fertility experts, space architects from the nearby University of Houston, electrical and mechanical engineers, and astronauts. We were asked to present our project again and network as much as we want with whoever was in attendance."
During the workshop, Kayanni and his team were quizzed on several points by Nasa representatives. They were asked how they are planning to protect inhabitants from the radiation in space, how they would expand their city, and what would the food sources be.
Kayanni said it's now "more important than ever" for students to ask questions about building a habitat on Mars, especially since the UAE plans to build an entire city on the Red Planet by 2117.
"Undeniable facts (show us) right now that we will eventually colonise Mars. The things we have to take into consideration include how we're going to be able to live on Mars - taking into account the radiations and how we will feed ourselves; whether there will be a political system; will we be a separate country; and what kind of architecture will we need," he said.
"It's very important for the youth in the UAE to be considering these questions to plan for the future, especially with the rate at which climate change is rapidly accelerating.
"The way the Amazon has been going about and the crisis there, pollution levels rising worldwide - eventually, Earth will become unlivable."
He said students should focus on subjects like aerospace engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, architecture, political science and philosophy, as well as medicine, biology, physics and math.
"They'll become essential for our survival," he added.
 
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com