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Saudi Astronauts on Board ISS Conduct Interactive Experiment with School Students

Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni carry out an interactive scientific experiment on heat transfer with high school students in the Kingdom. (SPA)
Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni carry out an interactive scientific experiment on heat transfer with high school students in the Kingdom. (SPA)
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Saudi Astronauts on Board ISS Conduct Interactive Experiment with School Students

Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni carry out an interactive scientific experiment on heat transfer with high school students in the Kingdom. (SPA)
Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni carry out an interactive scientific experiment on heat transfer with high school students in the Kingdom. (SPA)

Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni have conducted an interactive scientific experiment on heat transfer with high school students in the Kingdom via satellite from the International Space Station (ISS).

 

The experiment allowed students to communicate with the two astronauts for questions and to compare results in microgravity environment with results on Earth. The astronauts, along with the students, were able to measure the variation in the speed of heat transfer in the microgravity environment compared to that on Earth. The results showed that heat travels at a slower speed through space than on Earth.

 

The experiment aims to motivate a new generation of Saudi leaders, explorers and scientists and achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 by building human resources and promoting a culture of research, development and innovation.

 

Such experiments seek to heighten the students' interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and grow human capital by attracting talent and developing the necessary skills. This will boost the Kingdom's role in developing the space sector, become an important part of the global community in space science research and invest in research, in the service of humanity.

 

The experiments are being organized by the Saudi Space Commission (SSC) in partnership with the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST), and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba), and Riyadh and Misk schools.

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Himalayan Snow at 23-year Low, Threatening 2 billion People

Snowfall in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan mountain range has reached a 23-year low, threatening nearly two billion people dependent on snowmelt for water - AFP
Snowfall in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan mountain range has reached a 23-year low, threatening nearly two billion people dependent on snowmelt for water - AFP
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20
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Himalayan Snow at 23-year Low, Threatening 2 billion People

Snowfall in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan mountain range has reached a 23-year low, threatening nearly two billion people dependent on snowmelt for water - AFP
Snowfall in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan mountain range has reached a 23-year low, threatening nearly two billion people dependent on snowmelt for water - AFP

Snowfall in Asia's Hindu Kush-Himalayan mountain range has reached a 23-year low, threatening nearly two billion people dependent on snowmelt for water, scientists warned in a report on Monday.

The Hindu Kush-Himalayan range, which stretches from Afghanistan to Myanmar, holds the largest reserves of ice and snow outside the Arctic and Antarctica and is a vital source of fresh water for about two billion people.

Researchers found "a significant decline in seasonal snow across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, with snow persistence (the time snow remains on the ground) 23.6 percent below normal - the lowest in 23 years," the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said.

"This trend, now in its third consecutive year, threatens water security for nearly two billion people," it said in its Snow Update Report.

The study also warned of "potential lower river flows, increased groundwater reliance, and heightened drought risk", AFP reported.

Sher Muhammad, the lead author of the ICIMOD report, told AFP that "this year the snowfall started late in January and remained low in the winter season on average".

Several countries in the region have already issued drought warnings, with upcoming harvests and access to water at risk for populations already facing longer, hotter, and more frequent heatwaves.

The inter-governmental ICIMOD organisation is made up of member countries Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.

It urged countries that rely on the 12 major river basins in the region to develop "improved water management, stronger drought preparedness, better early warning systems, and greater regional cooperation".

The Mekong and Salween basins -- the two longest rivers in Southeast Asia supplying water to China and Myanmar -- had lost around half of their snow cover, it noted.

Pema Gyamtsho, ICIMOD's director general, called for changes in policy to address the low snow levels in the long term.

"Carbon emissions have already locked in an irreversible course of recurrent snow anomalies in the HKH (Hindu Kush-Himalayas)," Gyamtsho said.

Asia is the region most affected by climate-related disasters, according to the UN's World Meteorological Organization, which reported last month that five of the past six years have seen the most rapid glacier retreat on record.