Veteran stargazer recalls Hope probe launch
dubai — Nezar Hezam Sallam couldn’t control his tears of joy when he saw the launch of Hope Probe on July 20 at 1.58am.
The 40-year-old who was posted inside the observatory in Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba area, had his eye trained on the horizon, while doing his own research during the launch.
“I had eight monitors for analysing. One of the monitors was broadcasting Al Amal’s launch and its subsequent movement. I have a big team of 33 people consisting of different nationalities and they had all logged onto my server. My eyes were constantly analysing the images and tracking the satellite. I was at the observatory until 4.30am.
“When I went to office the next morning, everyone gathered around me to listen to what I had seen. I realised only a few people knew about the mission properly. Many thought the rocket had humans in it.”
Sallam was seven years old when he saw his first shooting star. His passion led him into spending a whopping Dh2.2 million to build space gazing inventory, including a orbital element telescope and custom-built mobile observatories.
Sallam bought his first professional telescope in 1998 spending Dh1,500 — a substantial chunk of his Dh4,000 first monthly salary with the Abu Dhabi Police. “I didn’t tell my mother about the cost… all the money I spent to pursue my hobby. She would have, in all probability, disowned me,” laughed Sallam.
He now has a fleet of 80 American,
Italian and Japanese telescopes in all — a main 0.6m research class scope, three secondary telescopes, camera tracking mounts, three cameras, filter wheels and accessories.
An avid space gazer, Sallam spends a major part of his salary on his hobby. “My wife has been supportive in my pursuits. At the time of our marriage, I told her astronomy is an integral part of my life.”
The Yemeni-born amateur astronomer has also been dubbed as the creator and owner of the UAE’s first mobile observatory. Subsequently, he went on to build many robots for the Abu Dhabi Police that convey messages about road safety.
He now endeavors to make breakthroughs and scientific discoveries one day. “I have a van, truck and jeep that have been converted into mobile observatories. A lot of people think I’m crazy and wasting time and money. But, I am living my dream.”
Sallam has designed every feature in his vehicles, installing computers and TV screens, transforming them into stargazing mini-planetariums. He has also installed motorised mounts to hold his vast array of telescopes and a hydraulic stand to keep his vehicles steady. He uses his contraptions to educate people about the stars for free.
7 YEARS
Age when the stargazer saw a shooting star and got inspired