Former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, who led two missions to the International Space Station, has encouraged Irish students to follow a career in science and has commended Dr Norah Patten, who is set to become the first Irish person in space.
Ms Coleman, who worked with NASA for 24 years, spoke to students at Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Sligo about the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects.
When asked if she was nervous about going into space, she said she was not but added she had "some reasonable expectation of coming home but it's never a promise".
Secondary school students who attended the event said they were inspired by Ms Coleman’s lecture and felt encouraged to follow a career in science.
Head of the School of Science at ATU, Dr Jeremy Michael Bird, said these "diverse career paths are what we want to communicate to students to secondary school students when their considering their leaving certificate subjects."
Ms Coleman’s first journey to space was aboard the space shuttle Columbia in 1995.
She returned on the Columbia space shuttle as the lead mission specialist for the deployment of the Chandra X-ray Observatory in 1999.
Ms Coleman launched into space for a third time onboard a Russian Soyuz rocket for a six-month stay onboard the space station, serving as the lead science officer in December 2010.
An accomplished traditional Irish musician, she played music with staff and students at the university.
Ms Coleman, who was born in South Carolina, is a graduate of MIT with a doctorate in polymer science and engineering.
Her grandfather Joseph Fennessy was born in Ireland.
She was one of four astronauts of Irish ancestry unveiled on An Post Space Exploration stamps to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing in 2019.
She has appeared on album by The Chieftains, called Voice of Ages, which featured her playing from the International Space Station on a flute gifted by Matt Molloy.
Ms Coleman recorded a video of 'An Ghaoth Aneas’ and Carolan’s ‘Fanny Power’ for St Patrick’s Day from the ISS in 2011.
On Friday night, Trinity College Dublin will host a conversation with Ms Coleman and Dr Norah Patten - who is set to become Ireland's first astronaut.
Dr Patten, originally from Co Mayo, works for Realtra Space Systems Engineering in Coolock, Dublin.
She will be part of a research mission on Virgin Galactic's new commercial spacecraft, which is due to begin operating in 2026.
Dr Patten is part of a team being sent by the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) to advance scientific knowledge on supporting life in space.
