United Arab Emirates sent its first mission to Mars, the Hope Mars Mission, on July 19. And although the launch was more than 6,000 miles from Colorado, the University of Colorado Boulder played a major role in putting Hope into orbit. CU Boulder Professor Dan Baker and CU President Mark Kennedy discuss the construction and launch of Hope.

* How and when space captured our imaginations
* Watching the launch of the Hope Mission from afar
* Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics’ process of partnering with the UAE for seven years to bring Hope
* An ode to Arnold Weber, CU’s president who first looked to the stars
* CU student involvement in every aspect of the spacecraft
* LASP’s earlier success, still orbiting Mars, is Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN)
* What we’ve learned about Mars from Maven
* What we’re seeking to learn from Hope
* The thrill of watching SpaceX launch from U.S. soil, and the importance of expanding U.S. space capabilities
* The success of private space ventures and how that will introduces private funds to help CU expand resources for students and further space exploration
* The good things that result from the discovery include advancing health care and space, sustainability, basic sciences, urban vitality and cybersecurity
* The importance of Hope in global relations: A collaboration with Arizona State University and Cal Berkeley, developed in Boulder for the UAE, launched in Japan
* Space law, highly important but in its earliest stages

Resources:

* Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
* UAE’s Hope Mission on its Way to Mars – SpaceNews
* First Mars Mission from UAE Aims to Inspire a New Generation of Space Scientists – National Geographic
* Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) Top 10 Findings – CU Boulder Today
* CU in Space
* NASA
* SpaceX