Boost for Michelle’s space hopes

MICHELLE McKeon’s hopes of becoming Ireland’s first astronaut received a boost yesterday when Taoiseach Bertie Ahern endorsed a joint FÁS/NASA pilot programme which will fund her trip to the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida later this year.

The programme, was in jeopardy after Saturday’s space shuttle crash, which claimed the lives of seven NASA astronauts.

However, the decision by the US government not to let the tragedy halt space exploration means 28-year-old Michelle’s dream may yet be realised.