Saudi Space Agency, NASA Hold 'Beyond Earth: Journeys to the Stars' Dialogue

Saudi Space Agency, NASA Hold 'Beyond Earth: Journeys to the Stars' Dialogue
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Saudi Space Agency, NASA Hold 'Beyond Earth: Journeys to the Stars' Dialogue

Saudi Space Agency, NASA Hold 'Beyond Earth: Journeys to the Stars' Dialogue

Prince Sultan University in Riyadh hosted a joint delegation from the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) and its US counterpart, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The event was attended by the SSA CEO Dr. Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney, and Saudi Astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi, Ali Al-Ghamdi, and Mariam Fardous.
The event aimed to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in the fields of science, research, development, and innovation as part of the SSA's ongoing efforts to develop national capabilities and competencies.

The agency aims to adopt scientific methods and modern technologies and harness all of these to develop the Saudi space sector, according to SPA.
The Saudi agency hosted a dialogue session titled "Beyond Earth: Journeys to the Stars" featuring a distinguished panel. The event included NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, alongside Saudi astronauts Rayana Barnawi, Maryam Firdaus, and Ali Al-Ghamdi. The discussion addressed several key topics, including articles on the Saudi space program, NASA's vision for the future, the challenges and opportunities presented by space exploration, and the role of pioneers in inspiring future generations to pursue careers in the vast field of space exploration.



Stolen Shoe Mystery Solved at Japanese Kindergarten When Security Camera Catches Weasel in the Act

This image made from security camera video released by Kasuya Police shows a weasel with a shoe at a kindergarten in Koga, Fukuoka prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 11, 2024. (Kasuya Police via AP)
This image made from security camera video released by Kasuya Police shows a weasel with a shoe at a kindergarten in Koga, Fukuoka prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 11, 2024. (Kasuya Police via AP)
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Stolen Shoe Mystery Solved at Japanese Kindergarten When Security Camera Catches Weasel in the Act

This image made from security camera video released by Kasuya Police shows a weasel with a shoe at a kindergarten in Koga, Fukuoka prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 11, 2024. (Kasuya Police via AP)
This image made from security camera video released by Kasuya Police shows a weasel with a shoe at a kindergarten in Koga, Fukuoka prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 11, 2024. (Kasuya Police via AP)

Police thought a shoe thief was on the loose at a kindergarten in southwestern Japan, until a security camera caught the furry culprit in action.

A weasel with a tiny shoe in its mouth was spotted on the video footage after police installed three cameras in the school in the prefecture of Fukuoka.

“It’s great it turned out not to be a human being,” Deputy Police Chief Hiroaki Inada told The Associated Press Sunday. Teachers and parents had feared it could be a disturbed person with a shoe fetish.

Japanese customarily take their shoes off before entering homes. The vanished shoes were all slip-ons the children wore indoors, stored in cubbyholes near the door.

Weasels are known to stash items and people who keep weasels as pets give them toys so they can hide them.

The weasel scattered shoes around and took 15 of them before police were called. Six more were taken the following day. The weasel returned Nov. 11 to steal one more shoe. The camera footage of that theft was seen the next day.

The shoe-loving weasel only took the white indoor shoes made of canvas, likely because they’re light to carry.

“We were so relieved,” Gosho Kodomo-en kindergarten director Yoshihide Saito told Japanese broadcaster RKB Mainichi Broadcasting.

The children got a good laugh when they saw the weasel in the video.

Although the stolen shoes were never found, the remaining shoes are now safe at the kindergarten with nets installed over the cubbyholes.

The weasel, which is believed to be wild, is still on the loose.