Experts want region to boldly go with new name for Arab astronauts
An Emirati scientist and a space education official came up with a new word for Arab astronauts – najmonauts.
The Arabic word “najm” translates to star and “naut” comes from the Greek word for sailor.
Dr Mejd Alsari and Lisa La Bonte, chief executive of the Arab Youth Venture Foundation, said they hoped the Arab world would adopt the term, which is meant to provide a unique identification for Arab astronauts after the region’s successes in the space sector over the past 13 months.
The UAE launched its mission to Mars in July and in September last year Maj Hazza Al Mansouri became the first Emirati in space and the first Arab to go to the International Space Station.
Dr Sultan Al Neyadi was on standby for that mission and two more Emiratis will be selected to follow in their footsteps in January.
Egypt announced last December that it would begin the process of selecting its first astronaut, or najmonaut, in the next few years.
“The growing aspirations of the Emirates in space exploration and planetary research represent a prime opportunity for the Arab world to introduce to the English language a new word coined in the spirit of regional pride and identity, paving the way for future endeavours,” Ms La Bonte said.
The Arab Youth Venture Foundation agreed a partnership with Nasa in 2009 that created an annual exchange programme for students in the UAE to work alongside scientists and engineers in the US.
Dr Alsari and Ms La Bonte will launch a website soon to promote their new term.
The term astronaut has been around since the 1920s, with
“astro” coming from the Greek word for star.
Some people believe the term was inspired by the word “aeronaut”, which has been in use since the late 18th century and refers to people in hot-air balloons.
Russia refers to its astronauts as cosmonauts and Chinese astronauts are known as taikonauts, which uses the prefix “taikong” or outer space.
“A new name for those flying in space representing Arab states, such as najmonaut, is an individualisation and a remark that they proudly represent states with an ancient history and culture, but also with new special technological possibilities,” said Dumitru Prunariu, Romania’s first cosmonaut.
“However, no matter what nation they belong to and how are they named, when they reach outer space they become messengers of the entire planet Earth.”