Featuring a US and UAE flag, the patch represents the US space agency’s latest class.
Representing NASA’s 2023 astronaut recruits, the newest class patch represents 10 Americans and two Emiratis.
In a tweet shared by Anil Menon, the fly-shaped patch depicts an astronaut reaching toward the moon. With an eye on Mars, of course, which is part of the Artemis programme.
The two Emirati recruits are Nora Al Matrooshi, the first female astronaut from the UAE, and Mohammed Al Mulla. They began training last January with their American peers at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas.
While Ms Al Matrooshi (29) is a mechanical engineer, Mr Al Mulla (34) served as a helicopter pilot for Dubai Police for several years. They joined the UAE’s astronaut corps in 2021, which now has four members before beginning training at NASA shortly after.
NASA Astro Class 23
The fly shape represents our class, “the flies”. Twelve stars represent the candidates of class 23 and the UAE and US flags are both displayed. And of course the astronaut pose represents our faith in NASA’s return to the moon while keeping an eye on Mars! pic.twitter.com/gxN75CL5Ag— Anil Menon (@astro_anil) October 28, 2022
As part of the UAE’s attempts to fly to the moon, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre is ready to go ahead with the Rashid rover. The rover recently cleared its final checks after a series of rigorous tests and is now ready to launch.
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While the UAE Space Agency and Nasa discussed the Artemis programme, there has been no update on the same as yet.
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