ESERO Ireland, the European Space Education Resource Office, is running several major space-themed events in Ireland during Science Week 2011.
European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang (pictured) will be giving two presentations in Dublin as part of the Science Week Lecture series. Both events are free and open to the general public, but booking is essential.
Dr Fuglesang is Head of the Science and Application Division within the ESA’s Directorate of Human Spaceflight and Exploration. He became the first Swede in space, has been on two Space Shuttle missions, and is the first person outside the US or Russian space programmes to participate in more than three spacewalks.
The events with Dr Fuglesang are:
- “Exposure Experiments on ISS”, at the O’Reilly Theatre, Belvedere College, South Great Denmark Street (Thursday 17 November, 6.30pm). To reserve tickets, contact lectures[at]scienceweek[dot]ie
- “Space Careers – Life and Science in Space”, at the National Gallery, Clare Street (Friday 18 November, midday). To reserve tickets, contact scienceweek[at]drury[dot]ie
NASA astronaut Greg Johnson will also be appearing at various events around the country, starting at a careers event at the CIT Nexus Centre in Cork on Monday 14 November. Students from secondary schools in Cork city and county can find out what their future could hold in the exciting area of space exploration.
“Mars Science Laboratory – In Search of Origins” is the theme of a series of Science Week talks in Dublin, Galway and Cork being organised by the Planetary Society, in association with the School of Physics at NUI Galway, Galway Astronomical Club and CIT/Blackrock Castle Observatory.
For details of these and other space and astronomy events around the country, check out the Science Week website.
Science Week resources
The Science Week website also has space-themed resources developed by ESERO Ireland for secondary schools, including:
- “Gassy Skies”: our planet is surrounded by an invisible cloak of gases that we call the atmosphere. It is the atmosphere that gives us the air that we breathe and protects all life on Planet Earth. This worksheet includes activities such as “Testing for Oxygen in the Classroom” and “How to Make Your Own Clouds”, as well as facts about our atmosphere. Download Gassy Skies (PDF, 636 kb).
- “Elemental Cosmos”: everything in the Universe is made up of the same elements. The most abundant element in the entire universe is Hydrogen. This worksheet includes activities such as “How to Make Hydrogen in the Classroom” and “Collecting your own Space Dust”. It’s also packed with facts about Hydrogen. Download Elemental Cosmos (PDF, 905 KB).
