UAE's 7-Asteroid Mission, The Heart-Shaped Nebula & Microbes Engineered for Mars

This week on Kalam Astro, host Alya Al-Nuaimi brings you three extraordinary stories — including a UAE space mission that's truly out of this world!

We kick off with one of the most ambitious missions the UAE has ever attempted: the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt. Launching in 2028, the UAE is building a spacecraft that will travel across the solar system and visit not one, not two — but SEVEN asteroids over eight years! One of its targets is 269 Justitia, a 50-kilometre-wide space rock that is a shocking, brilliant crimson red. Scientists believe it originally formed in the far outer solar system before drifting inward — and studying it could unlock secrets about the very origins of our solar system.

Then we take a moment to appreciate one of the most beautiful sights in the cosmos: the Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) in the constellation Cygnus. NASA recently captured a breathtaking image of this nebula — and it's shaped like a heart floating in space! Inside it, brand-new baby stars are being born right now inside clouds of gas and dust. A cosmic nursery and a love letter from the universe, all in one.

And finally — science fiction becomes science fact. Researchers have successfully engineered microscopic creatures — tiny microbes — specifically designed to survive the brutal conditions on Mars. These biological pioneers could one day help prepare the Martian environment for human settlement, breaking down rock, producing oxygen, and making the Red Planet a little more like home.

Tune in, look up, and keep exploring with Kalam Astro! 🌌

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