Tests in Orbit and DreamKit programs in the United Arab Emirates - Innovative dual approach to enable and inspire learners to reach for the stars

摘要

The United Arab Emirates is the base for the first ever Arabic and Islamic mission to Mars, and the home of the increasingly impactful UAE Space Agency. As the nation builds a robust space program on the cutting edge of technology, one important factor for success is the ample supply of inspired and engaged engineers. DreamUp is the first company bringing space into the classroom and the classroom into space, and is uniquely positioned to support the UAE as they engage learners globally with the most cutting-edge educational opportunities in microgravity. Through a partnership (that also includes Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) and Nanoracks), the UAE Space Agency and DreamUp are bringing the possibility of space research directly to Emirati students, and producing a science kit that will enable students around the globe to have hands-on learning in association with the flight of the first Emirati astronaut to the ISS - Hazza AlMansouri. The program, named Tests in Orbit, invited student groups in the UAE to develop experiments focused in two areas - Life in Space and Energy in Space. A record number of applications have been received, and a selection workshop took place in March 2019. Three winners were chosen, and they are currently working on their payloads that are scheduled to launch in 2020. Concurrently, an experiment was designed for the Emirati astronaut to perform when he visited the International Space Station earlier this year. DreamUp will be manufacturing a science kit, with the support of the UAE Space Agency, to enable leaners around the globe to mimic the Emirati astronaut's experiment and compare the results they find with those found by the astronaut. This dual-program approach is innovative and the first of its kind -providing hands-on learning experiences not only to university students who have been selected to fly an experiment to the ISS, but also to thousands of leaners in all parts of the globe, to inspire them to reach for the stars. T