The Emirates Mars Mission – Hope Probe, a project supervised in terms of design, manufacturing and launch by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), has announced the launch of its Teachers Ambassador Programme that will enable and equip participating teachers with the knowledge and material required to educate the next generations of engineers and scientists of the UAE in space science, to build a new generation that meets the UAE's requirements in the field, in addition to creating a dynamic community for teachers to represent their schools in EMM educational initiatives.

The program also aims at launching collaboration initiatives between the Emirates Mars Mission on one hand, and the various educational institutes in the country on the other, with the goal of reviewing curricula in schools and launching new programs that utilise enhanced teaching methods and tools; in order to prepare UAE students for this dynamic sector that will affect all aspects of this region’s economy.

The programme will also organiee workshops for the teachers and introduce space camps.

This new announcement for the UAE teaching community came during an introductory day on the program, held at the Planetarium at the Sharjah Centre for Astronomy and Space Sciences in University City in Sharjah.

The day was attended by a large number of teachers from various schools in the UAE.

The introductory day included an overview of the Emirates Mars Mission presented by Omran Sharaf, Emirates Mars Mission Project Manager at MBRSC, who outlined the main goals of the program in terms of obtaining a deeper understanding of Mars' atmosphere. Sharaf also introduced attending teachers to the scientific goals of the project, followed by introductory notes on the Teachers Ambassador Program presented by Noora Abdulla Al Rafi, Strategic Planning Team, Emirates Mars Mission. Teachers were invited to participate as ambassadors and gain access to the program, allowing schools to be a platform for support of the space sector in the UAE.

Attending teachers also received a presentation in the planetarium and a scientific tour on the existing educational stations.

Commenting on this, Sharaf said: "The launch of the new programme is in line with our mission to educate the new generation on space science, in preparation to unleash their full potential in this field in the future.

This latest programme represents yet another opportunity for the UAE community to gain access to and participate in the space programs, this time from the teaching perspective.

“We are fully aware of the leading role played by teachers in encouraging students to follow new domains and fields, as well as creating a nurturing environment for student innovation, creativity and aspiration.”