September 2004
Out to "Launch"
The greencastle Maritime museum is fast becoming Ireland's answer
to Cape Canaveral. On Sunday crowds gathered to witness the launch
of Inishowen Planetarium director Ash McFadden's RLM (Ridiculously
Large Missile).
The RLM, a ballistic missile, was launched in front of the Greencastle
Maritime Museum and took under a minute to reach its zenith one
mile up in the upper atmosphere where it separated into three parts
attached to one parachute and floated down to earth in three minutes,
into the waiting arms of the coastguard out on the Foyle. In pronouncing
the mission a success, Rocket Scientist McFadden said future launches
of the RLM could carry a payload of instruments for atmospheric
research or aerial photography, among other, more personal uses.
I have had contact from Trinity College Dublin who are interested
in using the missile. It would also be suitable for shooting photos
as the rocket can take you above the ground level of pollution.
I've even had one enquiry from an Irish person living here who wants
to use the missile to shoot his ashes into the atmosphere,"
said Ash.
Also held on the day was the final of the All Ireland Egg Rocket
Cup. Over the summer 15 amateur scientists from around the country
built rockets with the purpose of propelling a hen's egg into the
sky and returning it to earth with it's shell, (the egg that is
intact). No mean feat, as I'm sure you can image.
The winners of the 1st annual Egg Rocket Cup were students from
Moville Community College, who beat off the challenge of missile
enthusiasts from Coleraine and Dublin. Rocket scientists from Sussex
in England and Texas were on hand to give the seal of approval to
their pint sized imitators from Moville Community College.
On Tuesday morning Ash along with Larry Barr, a rocket scientist
from the Tarleton University in Stephenville, Texas went to Moville
secondary school to present the Egg Rocket Cup and announce plans
for an exciting tie up with the school and Tarleton University.
Ash explained "They have just broke ground on an observatory
at Tarleton University that, when finished, students from Moville
can control the telescope via the Internet from school, when the
special software is installed. The Greencastle Planetarium will
be the hub for the system in Ireland. It is really something exciting
for the students. Think of it this way, when its 9am and sunny as
the pupils are coming into school, its darker than the inside of
a cow in Texas. Pupils can take a real-time picture of an area of
space, say near Saturn, and then take another 24 hours later, If
something different shows up, say an asteroid, we can track it and
if it turns out that it's new, it will be named after the school
or the pupils who discovered it.
The Colorado native will be on hand to give Moville, and other
schools in the area guidance when the telescope becomes operational.
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