Three UAE students have become the first ever non-US citizens to take part in the NASA internship programme, it was announced on Wednesday.
The three Emirati students flew out to the US on Wednesday and will take part in a ten month training programme by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the space agency which was responsible for putting the first man on the moon in July 1969.
Shamma Al Qassim, 19, Hazza Bani Malek, 20, and Hamad Rajab, 21 are the first ever non-US citizens to take part in the programme and their participation came about as a result of an agreement between NASA and the Arab Youth Venture Foundation (AYVF). AYVF is a UAE-based non-profit organisation that promotes awareness of science and technology among young Emiratis.
Al Qassim, Malek and Rajab will be the first of twelve students to take part in the joint venture and the students are being sponsored by the Abu Dhabi government-owned Mubadala Development Company.
“Under this programme, the goodwill generated by students working side by side [with NASA scientists and researchers] will serve as a bridge between the USA and UAE, opening the doors for future collaboration in scientific research,” said Dr Pete Worden, head of the NASA Ames Research Centre.
The students will work on various NASA projects, such as a the space shuttle and international space station, deep space missions, exploration of the solar system and aircraft research.
As part of his 2010 budget, US President Barack Obama ordered a review of NASA’s operations. The review cancelled plans for further missions to the Moon and Mars and instead Obama wants to focus on deep space exploration and designing vehicles to replace the space shuttle.
While Obama has increased the space agency’s 2010 budget by five percent to $18.7bn, over the next three years he has cut its expenditure plans by $3.5bn.
