NASA’s InSight Mission made a successful landing on Mars yesterday, and the event was streamed live at Qatar National Library. The InSight Mission is NASA’s first Mars landing since 2012, and will reveal crucial insights on the formation and interior of the Red Planet. The Library was the only NASA-registered entity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to live stream the landing.
Attending the event, Hesham Hamza, who works at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said: ‘I am passionate about science, and have been following NASA’s work for years. I want to thank the Library for organizing this event, and look forward to more science events in the future.’
The event started with a lecture on landing on planets by Dr. Essam Heggy, Research Scientist in Earth and Planetary Sciences and a member of several Space Missions. Attendees also conducted live conversations with scientists from NASA about the landing and the wider mission.
‘I learned how science can find answers to real-world problems. I am fascinated how engineers at NASA worked so hard for years to make this mission a success. I believe young scientists in Qatar and elsewhere should work hard to be able to develop successful careers,’ said Mahmoud Sawalha, a high-school student and a robotics programmer, who was present at the event with his 5-member robotics team.
The Library’s Science Book Forum is a science reading initiative that seeks to enable young learners to develop careers in science. To find out more about the forum, please visit: https://www.qnl.qa/en/events/science-book-forum.
