Dr Norah Patten “Impossible Dream” Of Going To Space Is Coming True

Dr Norah Patten is about to make history.

She is preparing to become the first Irish person in space as she has been selected for a mission on board Virgin Galactic’s second generation of spacecraft that will launch in 2026.

STELLAR got to sit down with her ahead of her journey to the stars to chat about being a role model, being a proud Mayo woman and her partnership with Aer Lingus.

Growing up in a small town in the West, could you have ever imagined being the first Irish person going up into space?

I often say this was an impossible dream. I had the chance to visit NASA when I was in primary school. I was 11 and that was just a spark of interest. I grew up in Mayo in Ballina, the West of Mayo. It was very limited space activity in Ireland at the time and you know growing up in the 80s and 90s. Just having that opportunity to visit NASA, to see the wind tunnels to get a little bit of an insight into space exploration, and human space flight, I just thought it was fascinating. So it’s literally been that journey from that 11-year-old all the way through. While it was an impossible dream, I think for me, I just loved space. So it was a case of year on year, year after year to build on whatever opportunities I could or whatever activities I could get involved in to embed myself in the sector. It’s been a very long journey to get to the point of announcing my space flight and I think people have really resonated with it, because they know it hasn’t happened overnight, it’s literally been most of my life progressing get to this point.

We’ve had two female presidents who allowed little girls to know that was a job option. Now there’s a whole generation of girls who will look at you and know that they can be astronauts. What does that feel like to you?

It’s so special when you see that impact and you see those little eyes watching. They’re saying, “Norah is going to space and she’s from Ireland, she’s from Mayo,” I really think the impact is going to be felt from now for many years. I hope! Like that’s one of the things that I really want to build on as part of the flight is the outreach the education, the impact, the engagement. I think having that opportunity to be on the Toy Show before Christmas was just a signal to how many little eyes were watching and looking at this journey and for them to see what’s possible. I often say it’s not about me saying study STEM or study engineering and become a scientist. It’s to show them what’s possible, it’s to show them that sometimes big impossible dreams do come true, if you put in the groundwork and so yeah. I think it’s really really special you know, to get the letters from little kids. I get fan mail now and An Post have delivered, you know, letters to “Norah Patten: Astronaut Ballina” and they do make their way to my parents’ home in Ballina which is just so lovely. The outreach and education piece has always been core to what I’ve tried to do. I’ve tried to use my opportunities to bring and to open the door for the next generation and for others to follow along so I definitely think that the space flight is just a steppingstone to opening up other opportunities.

How do you keep calm when thinking about the vastness of space?

I think with the preparation we do through my research institute IAS, I like to say it’s setting us up for success. So when we actually fly into space, we’ll have flown multiple microgravity research flights. That’s the flights where you get to float the experiments and test them in weightlessness. We do those over in Canada at the National Research Council so we’re going to be very well prepared when we go on the Space Flight. I often think the community and the people around me and the people I’ve had an opportunity to work with and learn from have really been fundamental to help keep me on the course to actually go to space. So, I think the network, I often say that to young people. coming up through secondary school, coming into university, find the mentors. Find the people who can give you a little bit of a steer, a little bit of guidance and surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you. I can wholeheartedly say that having Dr. Shawna Pandya and Kellie Gerardi as my two crewmates on this flight, they have 100 per cent brought out the best in me. Those two girls, I couldn’t think of two better crewmates to fly with.

Is there anything you think Aer Lingus or yourself contribute to building a robust talent in the aerospace sector in Ireland in particular?

The partnership with Aer Lingus for me was just such a natural perfect fit and I’ll be flying back on over to North America as I said that research flights take place in Canada, I’ll also be going back to the US a couple of times in advance to the space flight and both after the space flight I would imagine. I think with me being an Aeronautical engineer as background and you know some of my classmates have gone on to become pilots and but I think the visibility is one thing and I think just raising awareness about the opportunities and that is something I know that Aer Lingus is very passionate about and very committed to, is raising the awareness for more females to apply to become pilots and the opportunities to work in I suppose what are still more male-dominated sectors.

Obviously going to space is going to be incredible. But what has been a stand-out moment for you so far?

I think getting invited onto the Toy Show was really special. They only have a handful of guests that they invite on and they’re invited on because they were nominated by the kids which I just think is just so lovely. So, Zara and Killian would have wrote letters saying why they wanted to meet me on the show. I never would have expected to get something on that scale before the flight I would have loved to have had the opportunity you know post flight if it came up but to get that as an opportunity preflight was just really really special.

You said that you’ve been dreaming about this day since you were 11. How proud is your family of you?

I think they’re just so delighted that it has finally come to fruition and that because they know the amount of effort and time and commitment that has gone into getting to this point. So yeah, I think they’re very excited I think they’re very proud and I think it’s just so lovely to be able to share the experience now and I do my mum does come with me on some of our trips which is lovely to be able to share those nice moments with them now.

If you could go back in time, what would you tell that little girl who visited NASA at 11?

God, so many things. Just keep working hard, keep paving the path and because as I said at the beginning, sometimes impossible dreams do come true. Who would have thought, you know, 30 years later that the little girl from Ballina would have announced a research spaceflight. But I just think it’s been many years in the making, and I’ve sought out all the opportunities I could over the years to try and help me progress to the point of really being ready once the opportunity came up.

Tell us how has the support been from Ballina?

Very excited and very proud! I was invited back to be the Grand Marshall for the Ballina parade in March which was just lovely. They had a Reach for the Stars’ theme. All the little kids and adults were dressed as astronauts that had space-themed floats and stuff. So, it’s been lovely. Just very recently, I was in Cleveland and that’s where I had first visited NASA when I was 11 and I have family in Cleveland as you probably know, but there there’s now fifth generation Pattens in Cleveland so I have Patten relatives over there than I do in Ireland. That US-Ireland link for me is just fundamental in my journey. But it was amazing. Like the amount of Mayo people and Achill- like my dad is from Achill- the amount of people in Cleveland is just phenomenal. I think it having those links, has just been fundamental in my own personal journey.

Aer Lingus has proudly partnered with Dr Norah Patten ahead of her historic space mission, becoming the first Irish person in space.