Tag Archives: Mars

PLANTS cultivated by a local biochemist and her team at the LIT CELLS research group look set for life on Mars, after a period in Antartica. The plants are scheduled to arrive in Antartica in the coming weeks for tests in extreme temperatures that replicate those of the red planet. A state-of-the-art plant cultivation facility, known as the EDEN-ISS Future Exploration Greenhouse (FEG) – which was also designed and built by the Limerick scientists and their EDEN-ISS partners – will house the growing plants and will be located beside Neumayer-Station III. Dr Tracey Larkin is one of the research scientists working as part of the EDEN-ISS consortium, which has been tasked with developing the technologies that will allow for sustainable food production facilities on the moon and on Mars. A native of Mill Road, Corbally, Dr Larkin moved to Ballina, Killaloe, about 16 years ago. The BSc PhD biochemistry graduate from NUI Galway has completed a post-doctorate with the Life …

JUST 24 people have ever flown to the moon and one of the exclusive club was in Shannon last Thursday, where he spoke to children at St Aidan’s and St Caimin’s national schools. Al Worden was command module pilot on Apollo 15 in July 1971, alongside commander Dave Scott and lunar module pilot Jim Irwin. During his time in space, he entered the record books as the most isolated human being ever, at times being 3,600km away from his companions. Addressing children at St Aidan’s National School, he said that one of them could be among the first humans to go to Mars, if they persist with education. “When you get through college, you’re going to be the right age to go to Mars. Some of you may be able to do that and that’s going to be a very cool thing to do. It took me two weeks to go to the moon and come back. Going to Mars …