Bahrain spearheads World Space Week celebrations

Manama, Sept. 27 (BNA): October 4-10 marks another run of World Space Week which is observed annually across the globe to highlight the contributions of space science and technology towards uplifting the human condition. This year celebrates Women in Space. Bahrain joins this global event through the National Space Science Agency [NSSA] – Bahrain’s flagship team dedicated to promoting space education and fostering public interest in space pursuits. A strong line-up of activities and unique projects sure to wow space enthusiasts and the public at large is announced. Regarding these events, Ms. Maryam Al Mulla, Head of Resources and Services at the NSSA stated: The National Space Science Agency is keen to spread scientific culture among different groups, and it is making great efforts to urge young people to participate in its activities that extend throughout the year, but the Space Week always attains distinct attention. This year, Space Week will cover a variety of activities, most notably the following: First, the annual hackathon Space Apps Challenge is taking place virtually on October 2-3. It will mark NSSA’s official partnership with NASA or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - the US arm for space science and technology. The NSSA holds the distinction of being the only regional space agency to partner with NASA on this Challenge. Second, the Digital Space Career Awareness Booklet, created as a fun and friendly guide for young people, will be available on the NSSA website for youth and university students to download. The booklet offers information, insights and inspiration on space and STEM careers in general. Third, the release of the Digital Space Activities Booklet - a handy tool for educators to interest their students about space. The NSSA is reaching out to teachers in schools across Bahrain encouraging them to do space-related activities in their classrooms during World Space Week. Finally, in line with this year’s theme, the NSSA links with Orbital Space in launching a joint initiative - a virtual conference focused on Women in Space. Al-Mulla concluded her speech by emphasizing that the NSSA is continuing its achievements in going all out in its initiatives, locking in every opportunity to inspire the next generation of spacefarers from this side of the world, For details on how you may join the activities, please log on to NSSA.gov.bh or connect via Instagram @nssa_bh.