Dubai-UAE 4, March 2022: The Museum of the Future hosted on Thursday a special lecture where Dr Mohamed Qasem, Assistant Professor in Electronics Engineering, and member of the board of directors for the Digital School in the United Arab Emirates, discussed the opportunities and challenges of humanity settling other planets and becoming a multiplanetary species in the future.

 

Human colonisation of the Milky Way is “not a fantasy' anymore and is very much open to discussion in light of rapid scientific developments in the space sector, an audience at the Museum of the Future heard today. 

 

Dr Qasem explained his logic during the latest session of the Future Talks series organised by the Museum of the Future.

“We know that at least one technologically advanced civilisation was born, which is ours, but we have not yet discovered all the possibilities that space offers us. We are now researching and investigating the possibility of colonising and inhabiting other planets,” said Dr Qasem. 

He suggested that humans have good reason to study the possibility of settling on other planets due to the threats posed to humanity in the future. But he added that inhabiting other planets and embarking on intergalactic travel will not be easy.

 

“The challenges of space travel are enormous. It takes 2,000 years to reach our nearest galaxy Alpha Centauri, using the fastest spacecraft we have today, and even if we reach 20% of the speed of light, we will need at least 21 years to reach it. This means that the ships transporting humans to Alpha Centauri must be flying cities with a complete ecosystem.”

 

Nevertheless, Dr Qasem is confident that humanity will make new homes in the stars within a relatively short time.

He stated: “Space tourism has already started with Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. There are plans to build space stations and hotels on different planets to encourage space tourism.”

 

“Mars will be colonised soon and this is fact. Within 10,000 years, humans will start their journey towards planets in our galaxy and beyond. The most important thing we can do for future generations in order to prepare for future space flights is to instill in our children a love and passion for science.”

During his lecture, Dr Qasem explained that to overcome the challenges to becoming a truly spacefaring race, humanity needs to invest in solutions to help it be ready for the future. Innovation and collaboration hubs like the Museum of the Future have a significant 

Qasem has a wealth of experience in planetary science. He previously worked in the electronics department at the College of Technological Studies (CTS) at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET). He specialises in Artificial Neural Networks and Deep Learning, and his expertise are in optimisation and data compression. 

 

He also worked as a consultant to the Kuwait Foundation for Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) advancing science communications. He was selected by Nature Middle East as one of six science communicators to follow. He communicates science through his public lectures delivered in around the world, TV programmes, the Sciware podcast and his social media accounts.

 

Dr. Qasem's session is part of Future Talks series launched by the Museum of the Future starting from 24 February, and aired live from the museum’s auditorium and available free of charge to all, provided they pre-register via the website: https://talks.museumofthefuture.ae/.

 

Future Talks convenes global industry leaders to explore the future of their sectors, including cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs); the role Dubai plays in investing in the future; the future of mixed reality; the reality of the Arab world; science; the future of mobility; the role that metaverse technology plays in changing the world; the future of finance; the future of the technology sector; and the state of the world in 2022.

 

Future Talks aims to explore various fields and enhance the ability of research institutions to anticipate the future, as well as celebrate the successes of scientists and talents and institutionalise, design and create the future, as part of the Museum of the Future’s efforts to forge a novel global intellectual centre capable of providing innovative solutions to humanity’s biggest challenges.