NASA astronaut begins next round of schools outreach this week

Dr Donald Thomas takes space exploration message directly to UAE students

Dubai, UAE, October 24, 2015: Students from more than 11 schools in the UAE will have the opportunity to meet and interact with Dr. Donald Thomas, former NASA astronaut and an acknowledged authority on space exploration, when he begins the next leg of his tour of the UAE this week.

Dr. Thomas returned to the UAE on Saturday, October 24, to launch the second round of NASA Space Camp’s schools outreach programme in partnership with the Dubai-based Compass International, to meet more than 2,500 students from the UAE. The programme aims at educating and familiarising UAE students with space travel and helping them to prepare for a possible future as astronauts.

“Our previous initiative in April received a fantastic response from the region and we are keen to cover the rest of the schools during this time,” said Lissy Donald, Managing Director of Compass International. “Considering the UAE’s increasing interest in the space research programme, it was just the perfect time to bring back Dr. Thomas to Dubai.”

Compass International recently signed a joint collaboration with the US Space and Rocket Centre (USSRC), an affiliate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), to facilitate the region’s students to interact closely with some of the highly acclaimed names in deep space exploration.

Speaking about his impending trip to the UAE, Dr. Thomas said, “My previous visit to the UAE pleasantly surprised me with the level of awareness and intelligence amongst the students here. They were extremely receptive and had a hunger for knowledge and that is why I decided to come back to UAE, just a few months after my first visit. I am thrilled to be coming back to my enthusiastic lot of students and I hope that I can meet up with as many children as possible.”

Dr Thomas will be accompanied by Michael Flachbart, Vice-President of Centre Operations at the USSRC. The outreach programme aims at not only inspiring students for future missions but also prepares them to be future scientists and view science as an interesting option and area of study.

Compass International Tours is the regional partner for US Space and Rocket Centre (USSRC), an affiliate of NASA, for organising space camps for students in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, India and Egypt.

At the end of his UAE tour Dr Thomas leaves for India where he will address more than 10,000 children from schools in Mumbai and Chennai.