Mayo woman Dr Norah Patten is set to become Ireland's first ever astronaut
Dr Norah Patten.
A Mayo woman is set to become Ireland's first astronaut.
Dr Norah Patten, who is originally from Ballina but now lives in the Dublin and works for Realtra Space Systems Engineering , is due to take part in the space mission in 2026.
She is part of a team being sent by the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) to advance scientific knowledge on supporting life in space.
Dr Patten, along with two other researchers from the US and Canada, will undertake the mission on Virgin Galactic's second generation of spacecraft, known as Delta, during the first year of its operation.
The commercial space flight will be less than two hours long and is sub-orbital, meaning that it will travel to and from space without going around the earth.
Dr Patten has a PhD in aeronautical engineering from the University of Limerick, is a former global faculty member at the International Space University and has taken part the International Space University Space Studies Program.
Her interest in space travel was sparked as child when she visited a NASA research centre in the US while on a family holiday. She said her achievement fulfils what seemed like an impossible dream
"When I was 11, I had an opportunity to visit NASA in Cleveland, Ohio. And since that day, I've set my eyes on space and even though it's been an absolutely impossible dream, it just goes to show with persistence and much hard work I have finally been offered this unbelievable opportunity," she said.
