Final space shuttle mission by NASA of the Irish connection

NASA

NASA’s final space shuttle mission, a 12 day flight to deliver supplies and equipment to the International Space Station, will lift off on 08 July 2011. Mission STS 135 by space shuttle Atlantis marks the end of a 30 year NASA program involving the world’s first reusable spacecraft and makes way for NASA’s next phase.

This Friday, July 08, saw the launch of the Atlantis space shuttle and the end of NASA’s 30 year program. 

Viewed by about one million on the ground at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Surprisingly, there are some interesting Irish connections to this history space program.

University College Dublin connection:

University College Dublin staff members Dr. David Browne, from the school of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering was involved in the European Space Agency’s research project into the cartridges. The will be used to compare the results of the experiments in space with the experiments on Earth to isolate effects of gravity on alloy solidification.

Speaking to Science.ie Dr Browne said ‘”so there will be an Irish and UCD scientific connection with this historic last space shuttle mission by NASA’.

So there will be an Irish and University College Dublin scientific connection with historic last space shuttle mission by NASA.

The results from the experiments in space will be compared with experiments on Earth to isolate the effects of Gravity on alloy solidification. NASA’s maiden space shuttle Columbia blasted into space 30 years ago, on 12 April 1981.