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SO LONG AS THE clouds stay away tonight, there’s a good chance you can watch the International Space Station as it passes over Ireland.
At roughly the size of Croke Park, the ISS is the largest-ever spacecraft sent into orbit and it circles the planet at about 350km above the Earth’s surface.
Astronomy Ireland chairman David Moore says that the ISS will be the brightest object in the night sky and should be visible in the southern sky at 10.34pm tonight. The spacecraft will travel over Ireland until 24 April.
For the past ten years, the ISS has been constantly manned. Its crew is repeatedly being replaced with cycles of new members; the departing and arriving teams overlap on board for a period between changeovers.
Half of those on board right now arrived at the ISS in mid-November and are due to return to Earth later this month, landing on 27 April. The three other astronauts joined them in December, and they will return home on 1 July.
Russia’s Soyuz rockets have been relied on as the main transport link between Earth and the ISS for both personnel and supplies following the end of NASA’s space shuttle programme last summer.
The six people on board the ISS are supported by around 100,000 people on the ground and 16 countries have been involved in the project.
There is a reinforced section on board the ISS for the crew to huddle in for safety during solar storms or if the ISS is passing through space debris.
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About time MDH took a pay cut. €200,000 + expenses for a ceremonial part time handy number (with minimum power) and a big house to boot. Free entry to all the big sports events and a few speeches here and there. A bankrupt country with rich high earning politicians. A scandal.
Whether we like it or not Ian, the President is a part of our Oireachtas, one of the three organs of power in this country. That is his role: anything else is purely acting in a marketing and pastoral capacity.
fair enough by why does he nwed a huge salary for doing part time work?
For the love of God, his role is a constitutional fact! If you don’t like it, change the Constitution. If you want to pay peanuts get a monkey. Oh wait…. Ok, fair point, pay way too high.
Not getting into the salary issue, but you are amazingly undervaluing the work that’s done by the President. You might not like the salary, but that doesn’t take away from the work that he does.
What’s New Same Old Same O All The Time. Pity he does not fund his nice little number from his own Croc O Gold. King of The Fairies Wily Old Coot.
The Lot Of Them Are Acting 3 Parts too Many.
Rugby / Gaa / Soccer etc hard old Job all right.
bunga bunga
Sabrina’s not going to like the photos!
Sabina.
As long as it doesn’t end up like the Hangover movie with lots of end credits photo evidence and waking up naked, apart from a kiss me I’m Irish print tie, sprawled on a sheepskin rug in a ransacked 10 star hotel and a hungry tiger lying in the bathroom.
I meant “sabrina the hostess”…
The only time I ever hear about this man is when he is jetting off somewhere. He has no power, very little influence and is a waste of money. What benefits will we get out of a trip to Italy? The office of president is a waste of money. We always hear about the big salary he gets.. thats only the tip of the iceberg. There are all the staff that work in the Aras, the running of the place etc. The president and the seanad need to go.
So you want the Dail to be the only game in town? I bet you’d be the first to complain when that goes wrong too.
@Billie Hetfield . Are suggesting that the Dail has not gone wrong ie – that it is serving the Irish People – and not the Troika .??
No, not at all. What I’m saying is that by removing the offices of the President and the Seanad, the Dail has nobody to answer to. They’d have far too much power.
Reform is needed, not abolition.
The Sooner The Better We’er Always Being Told The Country Is Bankrupt So I Guess We’ll Have To Have Cut Backs. These Two Offices the Presidency and Senad Are A Complete Waste of Time Should Be First To Go. Then Look to Leinster House Cuts Here To Reduce The Number Of Tds to 75 is More That Adequate. Then look At The Perks Of The 75 In Office. Government Cars GONE, Garda Drivers Gone, All Expenses Other Than Travel And Accommadation And Direct Government Expenses Gone, Marketing Men Gone, Advisers For The Advisers Gone. Garda Bodyguards Gone, Massive Payouts Gone, Massive Pensions Gone, Then Look At The Public Service Management Structure a Clean Out Of This Top Heavy Organisation Is Long Overdue, There are lots of other Top Structured Departments that Can Be Cleaned Out. There Is Far To Much Duplication Of Departments And Money Wasted. We Are Told We Need CUTS So Let’s Start Cutting Where The Impact Is Not Felt On The Front Lines.
A lecture on ‘Irish studies and the Significance of Exile and the Migratory Experience’? Finger on the pulse of real Ireland as ever. Maybe he’ll write a lovely poem about us one day, when he finds out that we exist.
A true ” champagne socialist ”.
Seems Mr Higgins is doing a lot of travelling….
As he should be doing to promote this country
more money down the toilet having this ornamental goblin running round waffling about youth.
Didn’t realise we still had a President !!!
Gerard
Good man. Great depths to your awareness and intelligence. What a silly comment.
richard you troll
Waste of Tax Payers money!!! Unlike Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese you hardly hear of Michael D Higgins, hence my comment “Didn’t realise he was still the President.
Anyway, why I’m justifying myself to
an Egg, god knows!!
Goes to show the Waste Of Money This Office Is.
I want that job!
Sorry Keith It Should Not Exist Anymore Waste Of Money We Do Not Have.
It’s frightening how stupid a lot of Irish people are. I doubt you know anything about the job of President. Stop rabbling and read a book.
Can’t Afford One Anymore.
Change the record.
That man should never have got that job ! He has retired into the aras and getting paid for it !!!!
Bunga bunga party invites are in the post.
Wonder if he’ll drop his fainne in Mordor…I mean Vesuvius!
Poetry 1 bunga bunga 0
Milk it while you can Bilbo .
Im glad its him and not any of the others that ran for that office….his office has huge powers by the way….he can dissolve government….refuse to pass laws….controls the council of state to name but a few….
all Useless as Well.
have your say