GAC October Meeting by Dr. Donnacha O’Driscoll
October 2, 2023 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Galway Astronomy Club are pleased to announce details of our next club meeting, which will take place at 7.30 pm on Monday the 2nd October in the Menlo Park Hotel, Terryland, Galway.
Talk: ‘From Hero To Artemis’
Astronomy is considered one of the oldest of the sciences. Humans have long stared toward the heavens and wondered about it’s nature and some even wondered what it would be like to be amongst the stars. Escaping the confines of the Earth has been part of the mythology of every culture that we know of. And for much of our history, mythology was where space travel resided. But, slowly our knowledge evolved as did the possibilities of achieving our dream. An understanding of the mechanisms of force, the production of energy through fuel combustion, material science, aerodynamics and many other factors eventually led to our breaking free of Earth’s gravity in the 20th Century and to some of our greatest achievements. We are on the cusp of a new ‘Space Exploration Age’ where the promises and dreams of the past appear more real than ever. This talk will take you on the journey from a simple steam powered devise known as ‘Hero’s Engine’ to the Artemis program which will return us to the Moon and beyond.
Speaker: Dr. Donnacha O’Driscoll
Dr. Donnacha O’Driscoll is a scientist by profession, receiving a BSc in UCC in 1987, a PhD in UCD in 1991 and an MBA in DCU in 2000. He is the General Manager of the Science Foundation Ireland research centre ‘Insight’ in UCD. Although professionally he has worked in the biotechnology and data analytical sectors, his passion is in astronomy and in particular Lunar astronomy. He has been an active observer of the Moon for over 40 years and has presented many talks on the subject in that time. He established and runs the outreach website www.themoon.ie and is also a committee member of the Irish astronomical Society where he leads the Lunar Observation Group.
New members and attendees on the night are welcome. We look forward to your company.