Sinead Ryan: 'We're a nation of spacers, not least politicians'

Notebook

Nasa’s HR chief was in Dublin recently and claims that the Irish have traits which make them ideal space explorers. Stock Image: Getty Images

Sinead Ryan

When I was a little girl I wanted to be a prima ballerina or an astronaut. Indeed, around age seven, these didn't even seem to be mutually exclusive goals, much less unattainable ones.

A growth spurt (not to mention a lack of ballet lessons) put paid to the first, and travel sickness to the second. But I'm still a bit of a space nut. One of the most amazing trips I ever took was to Cape Canaveral and the SpaceX rocket, which docked with the ISS last Sunday, brings the intriguing prospect of space tourism and maybe even one day populating other planets ever closer.