|
||||||||||||
If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It, Say NASA’s Astronaut Twins At Mohamed bin Zayed Majlis |
||||||||||||
|
Impressed by the planning that has gone into UAE’s Mars mission, the NASA’s Kelly brothers said they looked forward to UAE having its own astronauts soon. Captains Mark and Scott Kelly said the country was best placed to build a city on Mars considering it had built such large and dazzling cities in the desert. The NASA Twins Study, its implications for science, as well as the twins’ own experiences that shaped their views on teamwork, leadership and overcoming adversity formed the basis of Monday’s lecture, The Sky is not the Limit: Life lessons from NASA’s Kelly brothers. The lecture, hosted at the Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen Palace, was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, as well as other dignitaries. Captains Mark and Scott Kelly’s career achievements have been as similar as they are remarkable. The Kelly brothers - the only identical twin astronauts in history - have both served as US Navy fighters and test pilots, and both went on to become NASA astronauts. When Scott was about to be sent into space for a year in 2015, his suggestion that he and Mark be used as the subjects of a study into the effects of extended space travel on the human body was readily accepted. Thus, Scott flew to the International Space Station and lived there for 340 days while Mark stayed on Earth. Scientists examined the twins before, during, and after the mission. The path-breaking Twins Study, the first application of genomics to evaluate potential risks to the human body in space, found that Scott’s DNA had not fundamentally changed after a year in space. However, 7 per cent of Scott’s gene expression - which is how our body reacts to our environment - had altered from its pre-flight levels, a change NASA termed "very minimal". One of the biggest challenges of getting to Mars is understanding how a full-fledged mission, which is likely to last three years, might affect the human body. Astronauts are known to lose bone mass and have heightened exposure to radiation while in space, with their vision and immune systems adversely affected during six-month missions. Until recently, no data existed for longer space missions. While science was at the core of the twins’ expeditions, it is their life lessons and personal stories from 229 miles above Earth, and the path that led them there which provide valuable perspective on embracing risk and discovering one’s true potential to achieve the impossible. Scott, the author of the New York Times best-selling Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery, said he was a terrible student in school, uninterested in science. Then he came across Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff, an inspiring account of the lives of the trailblazing Americans who first explored space. Reading the book helped him discover his passion for aviation and space and find the motivation to work hard to earn an engineering degree, which led to a career as a test pilot and astronaut. Scott thinks we need to stop furthering the myth that maths and science are too difficult, saying that such a belief might be keeping thousands of students from pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. After retiring from NASA, Mark - himself an accomplished astronaut who commanded the space shuttles Endeavour and Discovery - has spoken to audiences worldwide about the infinite opportunities that can result from collaboration, teamwork and dreaming big. He speaks of how focus, dedication and persistence can help you tap into your potential to succeed in any competitive setting. Scott, on the other hand, looks back at how he and his colleagues at the space station overcame various challenges, which he termed "the hardest thing we have ever done". He adds: "If we can do this, we can do anything. If we decide we want to go to Mars, we can. If we decide we want to cure cancer, we can." Expanding on this, the astronaut says: "If you can dream it, you can do it. If you have a goal and a plan, if you take risks and are willing to make mistakes, you can do it. We can choose to do the hard things, and if we do, then the sky is not the limit." The lecture was also attended by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region; Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker of Federal National Council (FNC);H.H. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Ruler`s Representative in the Eastern Region; H.H. Sheikh Saif bin Mohammed Al Nahyan;H.H. Sheikh Surour bin Mohammed Al Nahyan;H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation;H.H. Sheikh Diab bin Zayed Al Nahyan,H.H. Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan Chairman of the Board of Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care & Special Needs (ZHO); Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance; and a number of Sheikhs, ministers, Arab and foreign diplomats and senior officials. |
||||||||||||
