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Saudi Space Commission Reviews Plans for Exploration Missions to Mars, Moon

Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of the Saudi Space Commission. (Saudi Space Commission)
Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of the Saudi Space Commission. (Saudi Space Commission)
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Saudi Space Commission Reviews Plans for Exploration Missions to Mars, Moon

Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of the Saudi Space Commission. (Saudi Space Commission)
Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of the Saudi Space Commission. (Saudi Space Commission)

The Saudi Space Commission is reviewing the track of work put into sending exploratory missions to both the Moon and Mars. Concerned authorities in the kingdom have prepared several programs for building national cadres and expanding investment in the space field.

Commission Chairman Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz announced that the agency completed all stages of its establishment and concluded many partnerships and agreements both locally and internationally.

Heading the Commission’s fourth board meeting, which was held via videoconference, Prince Sultan thanked King Salman bin Abdulaziz for the support shown by the country’s leadership and stressed that the kingdom maintains a leading role in the field of space.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is able to maintain leadership by relying on its educated and qualified children who have made many achievements at various levels,” a statement by the Commission, which Asharq Al-Awsat obtained a copy of, cited Prince Sultan as saying.

Prince Sultan explained that King Salman had witnessed Saudi Arabia’s pioneering and historic journey to space in 1985.

Including over 30 Saudi scientists, the mission was met with great success and managed to inspire many countries in the region and the world to invest in outer space for the benefit of humanity.

On raising the levels of investment in the sector, Prince Sultan said that the Commission was cooperating with the Saudi Investment ministry and Public Investment Fund (PIF).

According to the chairman, only a few weeks separate the Commission from launching an entire branch centered on boosting and encouraging investment in the space field.

Apart from securing funds, the new domain will enable the involvement of SMEs.

More so, Prince Sultan predicted that the Kingdom, in two years’ time, will finish assembling an integrated crew with international space agencies. The team is expected to mount space exploration missions to Mars and the Moon.

Prince Sultan also congratulated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on it Mars “Hope” Probe successfully entering the planet’s orbit.

He affirmed the kingdom’s support for the efforts of the UAE in the projects and programs it is working on in the field of space.

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Biscuit Portraits of Famous British People

Mosaic artist Ed Chapman has depicted famous British people in biscuit form to mark 100 years of McVitie’s chocolate digestive
Mosaic artist Ed Chapman has depicted famous British people in biscuit form to mark 100 years of McVitie’s chocolate digestive
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Biscuit Portraits of Famous British People

Mosaic artist Ed Chapman has depicted famous British people in biscuit form to mark 100 years of McVitie’s chocolate digestive
Mosaic artist Ed Chapman has depicted famous British people in biscuit form to mark 100 years of McVitie’s chocolate digestive

London-based artist Ed Chapman has created biscuit portraits of famous British people to mark the 100th anniversary of the McVitie’s digestive biscuit range.

The mosaic artist said he had some “trepidation” when McVitie's called and asked him to make some famous portraits out of biscuits.

“I wondered if the portraits could be done with biscuits, I thought surely they're going to be crumbling all over the place,” Chapman said, according to BBC.

“I immediately went out and bought some biscuits to try them out and tested out how it might work - eventually I found my way with them,” he said.

Asked how it was possible to make such vivid portraits out of digestives, he said: “I initially thought they were all quite similar, but actually there's a white chocolate, gold chocolate, dark chocolate and of course the milk chocolate, and if you flip them over, there's the biscuit side which is plain, so there's a few grades of color and tones there - it's a palette.”

He added, “When I started this, I didn't think about the warm weather. Thankfully I've got a north facing studio, but I kept them in the fridge as they were easier to cut.

Chapman explained the current warm spell is a bit of a worry, but said: “I've protected them with several layers of varnish so, I'm not saying they're indestructible, but they should certainly last - they wouldn't last in the direct sun though.”

The artist said it took about 180 hours to make the three portraits and he used “thousands” of biscuits, which were supplied by McVitie's.

Chapman said the work had already been getting good feedback and attention online.

The mosaic artist has also done campaigns for other companies, including Keep Britain Tidy.

The pictures will be displayed on The Strand from 2 to 5 May.