Khalifa Sat to be ready for 2017 launch: Mohammed

The satellite, the third that will be launched by Dubai and EIAST, will be constructed entirely by 45 Emirati engineers.

The sky is the limit for UAE aeronautical engineers, who have begun work on what will be the first Arab-made satellite expected to be in the earth’s orbit by 2017.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the initial phase in building the satellite to be called the Khalifa Sat in honour of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) on Sunday.

Shaikh Mohammed and other officials at the EIAST during the launch of Khalifa Sat project on Sunday. -Wam

The satellite, the third that will be launched by Dubai and EIAST, will be constructed entirely by 45 Emirati engineers, after the first, in 2009, was a largely South Korean production with input from Emirati scientists, and the second, launched just last month, had double the number of UAE scientists working but still had input from South Korea.

Shaikh Mohammed said at the launch the country was “extremely delighted” to see the sons and daughters of the UAE forming the first Arab team to both build and launch a satellite.

“Our confidence in them is boundless and our ambitions are the sky’s limit and success comes from Allah.”

He said the latest project marked a turning point for the state, with the prowess of the country’s scientists opening new avenues and huge prospects for the UAE’s development.

“The Khalifa Sat is a message to all Arabs that ushering (our country) into the space era is neither out of reach, nor impossible, and our state will be a leader in this industry as long as we have the confidence and courage to enter into competition with major countries in this field.”

He also said the country’s “doors will remain open for cooperation with all Arab countries in space technology and engineering”.

The vice president said he would personally follow up on the progress of the Khalifa Sat team, revealing the government would begin to set up similar teams in other fields.

“When I look at the outstanding Emirati performers I always say this is what the late founding fathers Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Shaikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum planted, and today we are harvesting the fruits from the building capacities of Emirati citizens.”

During the visit, Shaikh Mohammed heard from the engineers about the details of the project, and viewed plans and designs of facilities for building satellites in 2015.

EIAST is currently establishing the advanced facilities and high-tech laboratories needed to build the humidity- and dust-proof satellite.

The Dubai Sat head of media and external communications Abdullah Al Qamzi told Khaleej Times the satellite would be purely constructed by Emirati scientists at EIAST, and would become the first to be launched inside the UAE. The launch came after five months’ planning, with Shaikh Mohammed expressing his pleasure with the work already done, Al Qamzi said.

“He was extremely happy with what he saw.”

The enthusiasm was shared by the EIAST team, who were confident and excited about the work to be done over the next four years, he said.

How much the satellite to be used “just for observation purposes” would cost to construct was unclear, though the first Dubai satellite cost Dh183.6 million, and the second is said to have cost less than that. (GNN)(khaleejtimes)(GNN INT)

RTA all set to meet New Year Eve rush

Metro to run round the clock; feeder buses to transport passengers from parking lots

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will operate the Metro for an extended period, create 13,500 additional parking spaces and add new signage for the smooth movement of traffic on December 31 and January 1 for New Year festivities and fireworks.

The plan is to ensure smooth traffic flow near The Dubai Mall - Burj Khalifa during the celebrations where crowds are expected to gather for the annual fireworks display.

“The traffic plan features the provision of additional parking spaces and directional signage, and extended operation of the Metro from 5.30am on December 31 up to midnight of January 1. The Dubai Metro will adopt a skip-stop operation system that is stopping at only one station of the following three stations: Business Bay, Dubai Mall - Burj Khalifa, and Financial Centre.

The Metro will stop at one of these three stations and skip the other two from 4pm on December 31 up to 4pm on January 1 in order to increase the passenger capacity of the three stations. During the period, the Metro ridership is anticipated to hit 749,842 riders on the Red Line and 359,025 riders on the Green Line.

 The team has provided 13,500 additional parking slots near the events area; 8,000 parking at Meydan, 2,500 at the World Trade Centre, 1,500 parking at Residency & Foreigners Affairs Department at Jafiliya, and 1,500 parking at Zaabeel Park,” explained Maitha bin Udai, CEO of RTA Traffic and Roads Agency.

“Signages are being set up to direct traffic to alternative parking and to the internal roads network at the Business Bay to access the Shaikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road to ease pressure on the Financial Centre Road. Work is currently on in setting up a solid rail in the median of the Shaikh Zayed Road in the sector along the Burj Khalifa and the Business Bay in order to fend off pedestrian crossing and traffic disruption.

A bus shuttle service will be operated to transport passengers from the eastern side of the Shaikh Zayed Road to the Western side of the Road. Traffic signals on the Financial Centre Road and the Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard will ensure smooth traffic flow during various peak hours, and the Virtual Messaging Signs will be used to alert road users of any road closure as well as directing the public to use alternative locations for parking their vehicles,” she elaborated.

Sixty feeder buses will be deployed to serve the Metro with additional parking and alternative taxi ranks, over and above the existing routes serving the neighbourhood. Fifteen buses will be deployed to serve Meydan parking, 20 buses will serve Trade Centre parking, 15 buses will serve the parking of Zaabeel Park as well as the Residency & Foreigners Affairs Department, and 10 buses will be deployed to move the public from the eastern part of the Shaikh Zayed Road to the Western part of the road.

Locations of feeder buses have been identified and dedicated bus lanes will ensure easy movement of buses. Buses will be in operation around the clock and will synchronize with the operation of the metro stations.

Emaar has expressed readiness to bear all operational expenses of the above buses. Thus riders will be treated to free rides. Public bus ridership is expected to reach 49,920 passengers, and the event held at the Dubai Mall - Burj Khalifa is likely to post a 30 per cent increase in public transport users compared to the numbers recorded last year.

Parking spaces and a dedicated lane have been designated for taxis to facilitate taxi access to the event venue, where two main car parks have been allocated, namely the sandy area of the Business Bay at the end of the tunnel extending from street No. 312 which can house up to 300 vehicles. Both the tunnel and the lane on this street will be restricted to taxis and buses to serve as an express lane from the Trade Centre to the event’s venue. The second car park is the sandy area alongside the Financial Centre Road, which can accommodate about 500 vehicles. A temporary exit has been set up leading taxi cabs directly from the parking area to Al Khail Road.

 Alternative parking spaces have also been designated to accommodate cabs during peak hours at both Trade Centre & Jafiliya Station parking lots, besides opening new bus routes to lift passengers to the alternative locations.

Fifty-five Limousine companies will also be invited to offer services to passengers during the event. Taxi cabs are expected to lift 120,400 passengers in 69,000 trips from and to the event’s venue.

Palm Jumeirah

During the New Year’s Eve celebrations, the Dubai World promises a record-breaking firework shows at the Palm Jumeirah. Fireworks will be displayed all over the Palm Jumeirah. As many as 50,000 viewers are expected to attend the event, including 30,000 people among the residents and visitors of the Atlantis Hotel.

Three checkpoints have been set up as the entry to the Palm Jumeirah on the day will be restricted to residents, invitation and pass card holders, pre-booking holders, taxis and buses.

Entry to the Palm Jumeirah will, however, be denied to all vehicles including card holders, taxis and buses from 10pm on December 31 — that is two hours before the start of firework displays. All roads leading to the Palm from Sufouh Road or from the circular bridges at the Palm’s entrance will be closed in coordination with the Dubai Police.

Given the lack of parking spaces for such huge attendance inside the Palm Jumeirah and in order to avoid traffic jam in the Palm’s internal roads, alternative parking areas have been designated outside the Palm, and accordingly buses will shuttle invited guests and booking holders to the venue. The designated parking spaces are, American University car parks, which can hold about 600 vehicles, and the sandy area at the Dubai Internet City which can accommodate 1,300 vehicles. Atlantis Hotel management has expressed readiness to prepare the area and provide all traffic safety means including lighting during the event.

An area along Al Sufouh Road has been designated as a public parking space to enable the public to watch the firework displays. All traffic signals along Al Sufouh Road will be controlled to ease the traffic during peak hours.

Concerning public buses service at the Palm Jumeirah area, 40 feeder buses of the Nakheel Harbor and Tower Station will shuttle people between the event’s venue and the alternative car parks mentioned above, where access cards will be checked at the designated parking spaces. The Dubai World has expressed commitment to bear all operation expenses of the -above-mentioned bus routes, thus offering free service to the public and facilitating bus riding process.

Moreover, parking lots have been designated for taxis and 55 limousine companies will be invited to offer service to the public during the event. Taxis on the day are expected to lift 5,200 passengers in 3,000 trips from and to event venue.

The Leader of RTA’s Team for Managing Traffic Movement and Handling Operational Plans during Official and Annual Events said: “The light signals control room will monitor the traffic in the area and the team will direct it according to the requirements of handling the traffic movement and volume at intersections and streets adjacent to the Burj Khalifa. Variable Messaging Signs will provide guidance to drivers about alternative routes; and operation team members will be available at site to coordinate with the Dubai Police and Emaar to ensure the implementation of the proposed operational plans and carry out the required amendments.

Maitha bin Udai called upon all community members to use the metro and public transport rather than private vehicles, especially during festivities in Dubai, such as for the New Year’s Eve celebrations, pointing out that the team’s plan had taken into account the demand for public transport and provided everything required to accommodate the growing numbers of potential riders. (GNN)(khaleejtimes)(GNN INT)

Sand grains help make complex lenses: Study

Spider-Man fan? Then you surely remember the transformation of Flint Marko, an escaped convict, into shape-shifting sand in the third Spider-Man outing.

In the real world though, a team of material scientists, chemical engineers and physicists have now successfully grown liquid crystal flowers resembling insect eyes out of sand granules that could be used as complex lenses.

Not just this. This unique technique could help produce complex dragonfly-like eyes containing millions of spherical lenses that are easier, faster and cheaper to achieve.

The team of scientists used silica beads, which are basically polished grains of sand, and planted in a pool of transparent liquid crystal.

They then generated patterns of petal-shaped bumps that look like flowers but function as lens, said the study published in the journal Physical Review.

The new findings are seen as a step towards making “directed assembly” - a new nanotech dream when all the complex, tiny parts can just manufacture themselves - possible.

The research was led by Randall Kamien, physics and astronomy professor; Kathleen Stebe, chemical and biomolecular engineering professor; Shu Yang, professor of materials science, engineering, chemical and biomolecular engineering; and Daniel Beller, from the University of Pennsylvania.

Shu Yang also suggested that lens construction could be incorporated into futuristic metamaterials such as an acoustically invisible cloak. This type of directed assembly could be useful in making optical switches and in other applications.(GNN)(khaleejtimes)(GNN INT)

Dubai chalks out plan for safe New Year celebrations

Police warn revellers that stunts and celebrations on public roads on New Year’s Eve will draw heavy penalties.

Motorists will be issued tickets and their cars impounded for three to six months if they park in the middle of the road to watch fireworks. — KT file photo

With the target of zero road deaths in the country’s crosshairs for 2020, the Dubai Police are hoping to start the new year as they mean to continue with a warning to revellers that stunts and celebrations on public roads on New Year’s Eve will draw heavy penalties.

The Dubai Police have sent a warning to anyone hoping to ring in 2014 performing stunts or causing danger on the roads that there will be a ramped-up police presence on the night of December 31, with every junction in the emirate manned by a number of policemen, while car towings, seizures and traffic fines will be handed out liberally.

Dubai Police Commander-in-Chief Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina said rallies and driving stunts will not be permitted on the notoriously frenzied occasion.

All roads will be secured by police officials and traffic police who will facilitate traffic movement and assist the public to ensure the crowded occasion goes off without a hitch.

Al Mazeina called on all to abide by laws and warned youths from racing their cars, saying celebrations do not mean putting people’s lives at risk. The announcement comes days after Khaleej Times reported drunk driving accidents in Dubai were up a massive 43 per cent in the year to November, compared with the previous year.

He said that people often parked by the side of the road to capture photographs or admite the celebra  tions who may be hit by errant drivers, while antics on the road would also further obstruct clogged traffic and increase traffic jams caused by the flood of people into the emirate.

“People are expected to come from neighbouring countries and other emirates to celebrate so the police have secured all areas of fireworks in coordination with the Dubai Civil Defence and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Alternative roads will be assigned if (authorities) decide to close some roads.”

Al Mazeina called on the public to use public transport over the course of the day.

Dubai Police General Department of Traffic Director Major General Mohammed Saif Al Zafin said police would enact security plans and strategies prepared by a New Year’s Eve committee. This would include Dubai police officials deployed on all roads and junctions, with Diera and Bur Dubai traffic departments due to deploy more than 150 traffic police officers and personnel on main roads and celebration areas expected to see bottle necks, including Jumeirah, the Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall, the Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Road, and the usual trouble hotspots of Al Mamzar, Al Warqa and Al Riqa.

Al Zafin said that to ensure security and safety during the celebrations, police patrols would be stationed at every junction in the Dubai emirate, manned by four traffic police.

He called on people who intended to partake in public celebrations to arrive as early as possible and to park their cars in the dedicated areas, not on road sides.

Police would not tolerate any violations or traffic obstruction and would take immediate action against those who caused any chaos, unruly noise or traffic obstruction, he said.

The police would instantly lock wheels of those vehciles whose drivers had parked in the middle of roads in an attempt to catch fireworks displays, he said. Ther cars will be lifted to a police seizure area, while drivers will be issued traffic tickets for obstructing the traffic. Car seizures would last between three to six months, he said.(GNN)(khaleejtimes)(GNN INT)