UCD graduate to speak on NASA NEEMO mission

NEEMO 18

Image by NASA/Mark Widick on Wikimedia Commons.

Irish physician and UCD graduate Dr. Marc Ó Gríofa will give a talk tomorrow on his experiences as a member of NASA’s 21st NEEMO undersea mission.


Dr. Ó Gríofa was chosen to be one of the six crew members on the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations mission. He was tasked with overseeing the deployment, research and development of several spaceflight-related experiments during the course of the mission.

The mission was carried out in the Aquarius Undersea Reef Base at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Tools and techniques were tested for future space exploration in simulated spacecraft conditions, with simulated spacewalks being carried out outside of their undersea habitat.

The topics that he will cover in the talk will include the mission itself, the science involved in it and what it was like to participate in preparation for a future mission to Mars.

“Irish Experience of Sea to Space – SpaceWeek Talk” will take place in Room 129 on the first floor of the Science Centre North in UCD, Belfield. It will run from 1pm – 2pm on Friday October 7th. Admission is free and no booking is required, and all are welcome.

By Kevin Carney