Dubai (Etihad)
The Museum of the Future hosted Dr. Muhammad Qasim, assistant professor of electronic engineering and a member of the Board of Directors of the Digital School in the United Arab Emirates, during a new session in the “Future Dialogues” series, to discuss the latest developments in space exploration and the future of human settlement of the planets of the Milky Way.
Qassem began his speech by praising the Museum of the Future and the scientific experiments that it hosts, inviting everyone to visit it. In his integrated presentation on the future of space travel, Qassem stressed that the settlement of other planets has become an idea in light of the rapid scientific developments and the vast capabilities offered by space.
Qassem stressed that the settlement of space is a vital issue for the future of mankind, saying, “The first question: Why do we want to settle other planets? We want this because scientific hypotheses do not rule out that humans will be extinct on Earth for various reasons, such as atomic wars or as a result of a space accident such as another asteroid impacting the Earth, or because of the low diversity of human genes because we are the only species that does not have a great genetic diversity.”
Qassem reviewed the challenges of space travel, saying: “To reach our nearest galaxy, Alpha Centauri, using the fastest spacecraft we have today, we will need two thousand years, and even if we succeed in traveling at 20% of the speed of light, we will need at least 21 A year to arrive, this means that the ships that will transport people to Alpha Centauri must be flying cities with an entire ecosystem.”
He pointed out that scientists today do not have clear answers about many challenges, including the psychological situation of humans and the problem of time dilation in the case of space travel, and the psychological and mental effects on human generations who may grow up on board space ships.
As for the current reality of space travel, Qassem, who is an assistant professor in the field of electronic engineering, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Digital School in the United Arab Emirates, previously worked at the College of Technological Studies at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Department of Electronic Engineering, specializing in artificial neurons: “The world has entered the stage of space tourism with Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, and there are plans to build space stations and hotels to encourage this tourism.” Qassem expected that Mars would be the first field for humankind’s journey in space settlement, according to what the Arab world confirmed, who was chosen by the “Nature Middle East” magazine as one of six people working to spread and simplify science in the Arab world through television programs and public lectures he gives around the world. .
Qassem, who is followed by millions of science enthusiasts on various social media sites, said: “Mars will be settled soon, and this is true. The reality is that we will leave Earth, and whoever thinks that we will remain on our planet is the one who dreams.” We will start the human journey from here and within 10,000 years we will head towards the rest of the planets of the galaxy.” The session was followed by a dialogue between Qassem and the audience about the future of humans and the challenges of the conquest of space, and he concluded his speech by saying: “The most important thing we can do for the new Arab generations in order to prepare for future space flights is to instill in our children a love and passion for science.”
Dr. Muhammad Qassem Zaho’s session comes within the framework of the “Future Dialogues” series, which was launched by the Museum of the Future on February 24, directly in the museum’s hall, and is available free of charge to all, provided they pre-register through the website.