Cork And Dublin Students To Make History By Making Contact With Astronaut In Space

Secondary school students from Glanmire Community College, Cork, and Tallaght Community School, Dublin, are all set to make history by becoming the first Irish schools ever to make contact with the International Space Station.

Other schools across the world have previously made contact, but these will be the first Irish students to do so, and they're super excited.

The students will use amateur radio equipment to talk to the crew on baord the ISS, including Italian astronaut Paulo Nespoli.

During the Expedition 52 and 53, Nespoli and the rest of the crew on the ISS will be traveling at 27,600 km/h and for 6 to 12 minutes will pass first by abpove the Dublin school, and then a day or two later will pass by Cork.

Thousands of schools apply for the chance to make contact with space, and because schools in the home country of whichever astronaut is onboard, in this case Italy, get 70% of the contact slots for the year it's so brilliant that schools in Ireland were chosen.

President of Glanmire Community College Ronan McCarthy said that everyone's "excitement levels have hit another stratosphere."

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