Dr. Norah Patten is an aeronautical engineer and bioastronautics researcher with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS). In June 2024, Norah was announced as part of the IIAS-02 crew which will fly on a research spaceflight with Virgin Galactic. IIAS-02 will be her first spaceflight and will make her the first Irish astronaut. Norah is an award winning author and STEM advocate and is passionate about inspiring the next generation.
Norah’s extensive research experience includes multiple microgravity research campaigns, commercial spacesuit testing and evaluation, and emergency egress operations. She was the PI of an experiment investigating the aerosolization of water droplets in microgravity, and tested a novel 3D bioprinter investigating novel solutions for skin grafts in weightlessness. Norah is an award-winning author and STEM advocate and is passionate about inspiring the next generation. In 2019, Norah released her children’s book called ‘Shooting for the Stars’ and it won the An Post Children’s Book of the Year, senior. She was awarded the IIAS Educator Award in 2018, was a recipient of the Emerging Space Leaders Grant and a Next Generation Plenary panellist at the International Astronautical Congress in 2015.
Through a partnership with NanoRacks and the Irish Composites Centre, Norah created and managed ‘The Only Way is Up’ project which launched Ireland’s first student experiment to the International Space Station in 2014, in which she was also the co-PI. Norah participated in the International Space University Space Studies Program in 2010, holds a PhD in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Limerick, participated in the Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers Program, and has industrial experience from The Boeing Company and Bell Labs Alcatel Lucent. Norah is a former global faculty member at the International Space University (ISU), and currently works at Réaltra Space Systems Engineering in Dublin, Ireland.
Her Topics Include:
“We were thrilled to have Dr. Norah Patten, Ireland’s first astronaut, join us as our guest speaker at Coca Cola Ballina on March 18th to celebrate International Women’s Day. Her visit generated a lot of enthusiasm and excitement within our team. Norah’s talk was incredibly inspiring. She shared her remarkable career journey and insights with such passion that you could have heard a pin drop. Her story of determination, perseverance, and success deeply resonated with everyone. After her talk, Norah spent extra time with our team, kindly taking photos and signing autographs. This personal interaction made the experience even more special and left everyone feeling connected and motivated. Norah’s visit was a significant and memorable event for all of us at Coca Cola Ballina. Her words instilled a sense of limitless possibilities and emphasised the importance of determination and vision. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to have learned from such an inspirational and distinguished figure.”
– David Irwin Manager, Communications Coca-Cola, 2025
