Space, the final frontier of yore, now appears nearer and beckons the UAE. In what could spell the dawn of affordable commercial space tourism, the country is positioning itself to reap the benefits by 2015. A recent partnership forged between the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) and US-based Bigelow Aerospace appears to be a precursor to more exciting times for humans in the orbit. The agreement envisages a microgravity research and development programme with a potential focus on advanced biotechnology applications as a first step to larger collaboration. Read more