UAE Visitors To Receive ‘Martian Ink’ Passport Stamp Upon Arrival
Sumaira FH Published February 09, 2021 | 12:45 PM
DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 09th Feb, 2021) Visitors arriving at UAE airports will receive a "Martian Ink" stamp on their passports, in commemoration of the Hope Probe’s historic arrival to Mars on 9th February.
An emblem of the country’s ambition and guiding principle that the "Impossible is Possible", the stamp – produced by the UAE Government Media Office in collaboration with Dubai Airports – is offering a memorable reminder of a new era for Arabs with a special message reading: "You’ve arrived in the Emirates. The Emirates is arriving at Mars on 09.02.2021."
The special passport stamp marks the spacecraft’s upcoming arrival to Mars, after it successfully overcomes the most critical phase of its mission to enter the Red Planet’s orbit. The probe will provide the first complete picture of the Martian atmosphere.
The limited-edition design is made from the world’s first ‘Martian Ink,’ extracted from volcanic basalt rocks that give Mars its distinct rusty colour.
The rocks were collected during a special mission to the UAE’s eastern Al Hajar Mountains and Sharjah’s Mleiha Desert by experts and gemologists. They were then crushed into a fine paste, dried in the sun, and mixed with adhesives to create three separate colors that represent the Red Planet – ready for stamping into the passports of thousands of visitors.
Basalt rocks, which can only be found in certain parts of the world, date back tens of millions of years and give the UAE’s mountain ranges their distinct rugged look.
Khaled Al Shehhi, Executive Director of Production and Digital Communication Sector at the UAE Government Media Office, said, "On 20th July, 2020, the world watched in excitement as Emirates Mars Mission’s Hope Probe blasted off towards Mars. Now, seven months later on 9th February, 2021, the Hope Probe is set to arrive to the Red Planet’s orbit - a major milestone for the UAE and for the Arab world that embodies hope, and conveys the ambition and motivation of the region’s people in overcoming the most pressing challenges to realise their dreams.
"
He added, "To commemorate this historic occasion and celebrate the mission’s incredible victory with the rest of the world, we have created a special stamp printed with ‘Martian Ink’ – made of basalt rocks found in the deserts of the UAE. This will be embossed on the passports of all the visitors to the UAE arriving at this time for a limited period."
Excitement is surging for the Hope Probe to enter orbit around Mars – the most dangerous part of its voyage, as the manoeuvre involves reversing the spacecraft and firing the Hope Probe’s six Delta-V thrusters in a 27-minute ‘burn’ to rapidly slow down the speed of the spacecraft from 121,000 km/h to 18,000 km/h.
During this phase, Mars Orbit Insertion, contact between the probe and the Operations team are kept to a minimum. If it successfully enters Martian orbit, the Hope Probe will transition to the Science phase, and capture and transmit the first photo of Mars within a week.
At that point, it will commence its mission to build the first complete picture of the Martian atmosphere using its three advanced scientific instruments that will continue to relay data of the Red Planet’s atmosphere for one Martian year, equivalent to 687 Earth days.
The mission is expected to collect more than 1,000 GB of new data, which will be shared with over 200 academic and scientific institutions around the world.
The Hope Probe’s historic journey to the Red Planet coincides with a year of celebrations to mark the UAE’s Golden Jubilee.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Punjab CM inaugurates Pakistan’s first Virtual Women Police Station
Dutch model Donny Roelvink embraces Islam
Experts raise concerns over introduction of 10-stick packs
Iranian president arrives in Karachi
Law Minister expresses Govt's resolve to address issue of missing persons
Rizwan’s batting order may be changed: Sources
Nawaz Sharif to visit Guangzhou exhibition in China
FM Dar not traveling to China: Foreign Office
PM takes notice of deliberate delay in tax cases
Iranian President visits Allama Iqbal’s mausoleum
Iranian President arrives in Lahore today
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 23 April 2024
More Stories From Middle East
-
UAE announces ‘Zero Bureaucracy Program’ to reduce bureaucracy
3 months ago -
COP28 President-Designate welcomes Transitional Committee agreement to operationalise Loss and Damag ..
6 months ago -
Global Media Congress 2023 to feature Co-Production Majlis as a new networking platform
6 months ago -
Young female athletes shine at Abu Dhabi World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship
6 months ago -
King of Jordan receives Abdullah bin Zayed and ministers participating in Arab coordination meeting
6 months ago -
Abdullah bin Zayed participates in coordination meeting of Arab foreign ministers, joint meeting wit ..
6 months ago
-
3rd annual conference of Emirates Society of Clinical Microbiology kicks off in Dubai
6 months ago -
SIBF 2023 hosts Nobel laureate to discuss emergence of ‘Afrofuturism’ in global discourse
6 months ago -
ALC announces winners of Kanz Al Jeel Award 2023
6 months ago -
SIBF turns spotlight on remarkable contributions of women
6 months ago -
Global assets in spot bitcoin ETFs hit $4.16 billion
6 months ago -
Rescuers struggle to find Nepal quake survivors as deaths reach 157
6 months ago