Pupils’ US experience out of this world

FOUR talented St Flannan’s science pupils were praised for their account of their experiences at the recent International Space Development Conference ISDC by Microsemi chief executive officer, James Peterson.
The students won second place in the senior category at the recent elite NASA/Ames Space Settlement design competition following their development of a new space settlement, which has the capability of taking photographs of hidden weapons’ depots.
The pupils devised a presentation about their trip to the United States to mark the visit of Mr Peterson to Microsemi’s Ennis facility on Tuesday.
Mr Peterson was visibly impressed by the report, which was delivered by Caitlyn Horgan on behalf of other team members, Mike O’Dea, Peter O’Connell-Stack and Natalia Abramczyk.
He stressed the importance of delivering impressive presentations like this if any of the pupils wanted to become future Microsemi employees.
“I am very proud of what you have achieved and I am very grateful for your gift. There is a tear in my eye,” Mr Peterson declared.
Ms Horgan stated the students didn’t think they would have the pleasure of meeting Mr Peterson to outline their progress.
She said they were delighted their presentation was very well received at the conference, considering their team members were 14-years-old.
“The knowledge and skills gained will stay with us always. One of last year’s participants has decided to go into a career in aviation engineering, such has his interest been sparked from participation in the project.
“He eventually hopes to go into the area of space. For some of us, it was our first time in the United States of America and what an experience it was. We got the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with students all around the world.
“Before we left, Taoiseach, Enda Kenny visited St Flannan’s one Saturday morning. He was very impressed with our project and even more so by the involvement of Microsemi. The Taoiseach was so kind to us and interested in our project,” she recalled.
The students visited Capitol Hill and were hosted by John Yarmuth, US representative for Kentucky’s third congressional district. They met and spoke with Buzz Aldrin, General Charles Boden, NASA administrator, and Al Globus co-founder of the NASA/Ames Space Settlement Contest.
They completed a tour of the Goddard Space Centre and the White House. On their last morning, they met Ambassador Michael Collins at the Irish Embassy in Washington.
“We sincerely mean it when we say that none of this would have been possible without your support and encouragement. Richard Finn and his team in Ennis have been so kind and inspiring to us. They even listened to our presentation before we set off to Washington and were impressed,” she said.
The pupils presented Mr Peterson with a specially carved piece of Connemara marble. Connemara Marble is believed to be over 600 million years old. It is a metamorphic rock and it created when limestone is exposed to large amounts of heat and pressure.The pupils thought long and hard as to what type of rock to present Mr Peterson  and also gave him a second small piece of polished Connemara marble to help him get an idea of its colours.
They also provided the historical significance of the Connemara area and the origin of the marble from a quarry owned by Kevin Joyce in Recess.
“We hope you enjoy our gift to you. Words can’t express what your support allowed us to participate in and develop both from an educational and personal perspective,” added Ms Horgan.
The winning team includes one third-year pupil, Caitlyn Horgan, and three second years, Mike O’Dea, Peter Stack and Natalia Abramczyk. They are part of a larger international team made up of students from Japan, India, Ireland and the USA. The Irish team were responsible for designing the overall space settlement structure and many of its subsystems.
The settlement consists of a double torus spinning around a central cylinder. It is self-sufficient, it orbits the earth and it is capable of housing 20,000 inhabitants in each torus.
They are the only students from Ireland who presented a science project at the conference and provided a PowerPoint presentation for all the guests, because of the sponsorship provided by Microsemi in Ennis.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny was taken aback to learn the space settlement could accommodate 40,000 people when he visited St Flannan’s recently. “Will I be able to bring the Government into outer space on holidays,” he joked.