RIYADH — 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 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.

Experiments are 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.

The experiment enabled 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.

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, in order to 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. — SPA