Palestinian electronics engineer Louay Al-Basuni managed to work with the NASA team that achieved a historic milestone by launching the first test flight of a helicopter over the surface of Mars. However, he stated that reaching his hometown in the Gaza Strip is more difficult than the achievement he accomplished. The Associated Press reported Al-Basuni (42) saying that going to Gaza, where signs celebrate his achievement, feels further than the journey to Mars due to restrictions imposed by Israeli and Egyptian authorities on entering the Gaza Strip.
"When dealing with electronics and technology, you can calculate things and know their path," Al-Basuni said in a video interview with the agency from his home in California. He added, "But when dealing with people and politics, you never know where things may go." The agency describes Al-Basuni's journey from his hometown of Beit Hanoun in Gaza to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as "amazing."
Al-Basuni worked as a contractor to help design the "Ingenuity" helicopter that recently flew over Mars. He left Gaza in 1998 to pursue his studies in the United States and returned to his city only once for a short visit in 2000. According to the agency, Al-Basuni struggled to secure his tuition fees at the University of Kentucky and sometimes had to work more than 90 hours a week at a Subway restaurant.
The engineer moved to the University of Louisville, where he earned a bachelor's degree and then a master's degree in electrical engineering. He worked for six years with NASA scientists to develop the propulsion system and control unit for the Ingenuity helicopter.
Al-Basuni rules out the possibility of visiting Gaza anytime soon due to travel restrictions in and out of the area. If he wished to visit his city, he would have to go through Egypt or Jordan, as Israel does not allow residents of Gaza to travel through its international airport. If he chose to travel through Jordan, he would have to wait for a special vehicle to take him from the Allenby Bridge at the border with Jordan to the Erez crossing leading to Gaza; however, this vehicle operates irregularly every few days and requires an Israeli permit, which is complicated to obtain.
Al-Basuni fears traveling to the Gaza Strip via Egypt, as the Rafah crossing opens intermittently for travelers and may be closed for months. Additionally, Egypt imposes high fees on Palestinians and requires them to obtain travel permits. He noted that his father, a doctor living in Germany, had visited Gaza via Egypt in 2019 but was stranded there for seven months.
The engineer pointed out that most Americans, including aerospace engineers, only receive two to three weeks of leave per year. He continued, "If you go (to Gaza), you might get stuck and lose your job."
