Cork touch-down for astronaut

CORK students at Munster Technological University (MTU) were visited by retired Nasa astronaut Steve Swanson who gave a talk on outer space.

Last week, students gathered at the MTU Berkeley Centre in Bishopstown to hear Mr Swanson detail his celestial experiences and observations of life while in orbit.

During the talk, he shared video clips from his career and gave a virtual tour of his life on board the International Space Station (ISS).

Mr Swanson also delivered talks to secondary students at Midleton College and at Dell (EMC) in Ballincollig on the same day.

A decorated Nasa astronaut, Mr Swanson boasts a lengthy CV, having flown to the ISS on three occasions, spent 195 days in space, and completed five space walks totalling 28 hours and five minutes.

He has served in other roles at Nasa, including as a flight controller for both the ISS and Space Shuttle missions, and has been awarded many accolades throughout his career, including the Nasa Exceptional Achievement Medal, JSC Certificate of Accommodation, Flight Simulation Engineering Award, and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

The visit was sponsored by Dell Technologies Ireland, and Mr Swanson was accompanied by colleagues Ross Barber and Jack Enright from the International Space School Educational Trust.