– Inspiring a new generation of scientists: 12,000 Saudi students collaborated with astronauts on three scientific experiments
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., May 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — In a rare motivational educational event, two astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni conducted three educational awareness experiments from the International Space Station in real time with 12,000 Saudi students at 42 different locations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These real-time experiments with the Saudi crew aboard the ISS were produced in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the King Fahd Abdelaziz Foundation and its talented and gifted team “Mawhaba”, with schools in Riyadh and Misk.
The objective of these three experiments is to improve students’ knowledge of space science and their contribution to improving the quality of life on Earth, juxtaposing their ground experiments with those being carried out in real time by the Saudi crew aboard the ISS. The students were able to see firsthand how the experiment environment can have a real effect on the results. The experiments focused on liquid fireworks, the space kite, and heat transfer with a focus on fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, and heat transfer, respectively. This real-time interaction ensured that the students had access to the Saudi crew live as they conducted their experiments together, one on Earth and one in space simultaneously to compare and contrast results.
The students were divided into three groups in relation to their age groups. The first group, ages 9 to 12, experimented with liquid fireworks, focusing on fluid mechanics. They were able to compare the effects of microgravity on the speed and shapes of fluids in space and witness the impact of gravity on fluids in vivo. The second group, ages 13 to 15, built space kites to experience altered aerodynamics in microgravity compared to Earth. The third group, ages 15-18, experimented with heat transfer to see color and time changes in heat transfer under the impact of microgravity in space with the aim of educating students that radiation is the only way to transfer heat in space and that heat is transferred differently in space.
The three educational experiments are part of 14 scientific experiments conducted by the two Saudi astronauts during their mission, which included a variety of tests from human research and cell science to artificial rain in microgravity.
By engaging Saudi scientists and thousands of students in Saudi Arabia, SSC is interested in growing its space sector through its people, giving them the opportunity to make a tangible impact on science and inspiring their youth to join science, technology , engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This effort is one of many to follow that will capitalize on the HSF program as a means to highlight science and expand Saudi’s economy into space.
SSC’s efforts are designed to prepare future astronauts and engineers, through quality educational and training programs, participation in scientific experiments, international research, and future space-related missions, all of which will contribute to elevating the status of the Kingdom and achieve the goals of Vision 2030.
About the Saudi Space Commission (SSC):
The Saudi Space Commission was established by royal order in December 2018 (Rabi II 1440). This bold step serves a future that is innovative and awaits the latest technologies and opportunities in the Saudi space industry.
With the Kingdom moving toward a progressive quality of life, SSC demonstrates the aligned vision of creating better and safer environments for its citizens while actively enabling the prospects of lucrative economic and monetary inventions.
The SSC has developed a strategy to create master targets that serve national security interests against space-related risks and foster cumulative growth and advancement.
https://saudispace.gov.sa/en/about-us/
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