New Kuwait Space Generation

The director of Kuwait Amateur Radio Society gave me a phone call few days after my arrival from Japan. He asked me to give presentation about satellites for junior high school girls in Al-Ahmadi governor. They need more information about satellite for the physics scientific project. I totally agreed. I supposed to give the presentation after Eid but you know my computer crashed and I lost all my data. So I postponed it my presentation until yesterday.

Yesterday I went to high school to give 50 minute presentation about "Satellites".There were about 40 to 45 students in the room. There were very quiet during my presentation, and taking pictures quietly. I talked about what is a satellite, history of satellites, ArabSat and the Saudi astronaut, space race, how to launch a satellite, Kepler's law, what is inside a satellite, satellites' orbits, types and use of satellites, satellite altitudes, space debris, and in the end I talked about my radio contact with cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev and use of amateur radio (of course I showed them a picture of Krikalev. No I don't tend to brainwash them :P ).

I finished the presentation and was waiting for the students' questions. I thought of breaking the ice by talking about my real story and how I got interested in amateur radio because of Sergei and my love to space. I told them that they can possibly talk to astronauts like I did if they come to Kuwait amateur Radio Society and earn their licenses. I was like "hey, do you wanna know how astronaust go to bathroom on board the ISS?" and I explained what it like to be on board the space station. So the students started to ask ... "What is black hole?... Is there life on Mars?.... How can I be an astronaut? What can I study to work in space field? There is no space program in Kuwait, what can I do?..." I was so happy of their questions and their interests in space. After the my presentation sessions, there was 5-7 girls who stayed around and they are very space enthusiastic. They wanted to have my personal E-mail, phone number so they can be in touch and if I can answer their questions about space. I was looking at them and I can see their excietment in space and I knew these students can be a part of New Kuwait Space Generation. I felt the responsibility to guide them and help them out, I felt that I should provide a guidance for them, I should create space informative guide in Arabic and online source since there isn't any in Arabic.

As soon I arrived home I received two text messages from the students letting me know that they were very inspired and hope that I be their guide in their space studies and they are eagerly waiting for World Space Week. I know I didn't mention in my blog anything about World Space Week (WSW). I was chosen to be the local coordinator of WSW in Kuwait on which I have to organize the event and find sponsors. I worked on it since September and that was what keeping me busy. The process is going slow and the interests in space week event is getting low. But I will try my best to have this event held in Kuwait Scientific Center in early December for the sake of the students that I met and many others :)