RIYADH: Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni have started their research projects aboard the International Space Station (ISS), a few days after arriving via the privately-launched Axiom Space 2 mission

During their eight-day stay at the space station, the Saudi astronauts would be undertaking 14 pioneering experiments in microgravity and with three of those to be conducted real-time with the participation of 12,000 Saudi students across 47 locations of the Kingdom.

The involvement of students was aimed at “preparing future astronauts and engineers through quality education and training programs, and participation in scientific experiments, international research, and future space-related missions,” state news agency SPA reported.

The real-time interaction ensures that students can access the Saudi crew live as they simultaneously perform their experiments on Earth and in space.

Barnawi and AlQarni are running six experiments to understand the impacts of being in space, microgravity and a high radiation environment on the human brain and nervous system.

The research aims to evaluate the repercussions of space on human health and the safety of such space trips on the human brain and will utilize novel neuroscience tools including measuring blood flow to the brain and the brain’s electrical activity, SPA said.

The two Saudi astronauts will also do four cell science experiments to investigate the inflammatory response of human immune cells in microgravity.

Their research will be focused on changes in mRNA decay, a process that can turn off inflammation.