Sirdab’s Trip to Space and Back

Last Friday was like no other at Sirdab. For one thing, it was teeming with kids, and for another, we had a video call with a team of astronauts simulating a mission to Mars!

It was fascinating to say the least. The astronauts were conducting experiments on a glacier in the Austrian Alps and the kids had an impressive array of questions for them. “How do you balance without gravity? How many rocks have been collected from Mars? What does Mars feel like? Have there been missions to other planets? What elements exist on Mars?” 

It was refreshing to be exposed to a field so vastly different from my own for a change, and leave with a bunch of random facts swimming in my mind. For instance, did you know Earth and Mars are made of the same elements and are so similar that scientists can find it difficult to discern which of the two planets rocks are from? Mars has one-third of the Earth’s gravitational pull, and about a 1,000 people have walked on the moon’s surface so far. It takes 3 hours to put on a spacesuit (which, incidentally, weighs 45 kilograms) and it would take 200 days to traverse to Mars… a trip there seemed less attractive after hearing that. 

If you, like me, allow yourself to get so bogged down with work that you forget to appreciate the wonders of the world around you, I encourage you to take a break from time to time and just absorb knowledge about a subject you may not have dwelt on before. It keeps you humble and grounded, not to mention in awe. Plus, you learn something new.

On that note, we’re hosting Faisal Al-Hamad, the CEO of NBK Capital, at Startup Grind this Tuesday. It’s not one you want to miss. Haven’t registered yet? Sign up here.