Over the moon

NOT many, if any 10-year-old boys can boast that a
multi-billion euro satellite orbiting earth is named after them.

But for Adam Vaughan from Swords, that’s a future
chat-up line that he can pull off with honesty.

Art-lover Adam was recently crowned the Irish winner of
a competition themed

‘Space and Aeronautics’, which ran across 27 EU countries
with a winning prize of having a satellite from the Galileo programme
constellation named after him.

It’s a prize of a lifetime but for the fourth-class St
Cronin’s National School pupil, it was all in a weekend’s work.

“I love art so that’s why I entered the competition,

?
Adam told Northside People.

“I just came up with the idea for the project and I
didn’t really think it would win.

“It is pretty amazing to have a satellite named after
me.

?

Adam’s dad Keith was far more impressed with the prize
which he admits he didn’t realise the scale of until Adam’s teacher sent a note
home from school.

“We just thought he’s entered and won another art
competition,

? he explained.

“We thought he’d won a Sat Nav not a satellite.

“It was only when his teacher made us aware that we
realised how big of a deal it was and is.

“It’s phenomenal really to think that there’ll be a
satellite up there with his name on it.

?

Keith admitted that it will be

“some hell of a chat-up
line

? when Adam’s older.

“He certainly doesn’t grasp the significance which is
understandable given his age,

? he stated.

“For the meantime he’s just back to doing what he
loves, art and GAA.

“I asked him today if he wanted to be an astronaut
when he’s older and he said no and that he wanted to be a GAA star instead.

“I tried explaining that there wasn’t a whole lot of
money in that but he didn’t seem to care.

?

Adam, who lives in Swords Manor, plays for his school
team and for Fingallians GAA Club in Swords.

His art entry to the competition, entitled

‘The Solar
System’, was selected for the top prize by a judging panel comprising artist
Don Conroy, David Moore from Astronomy Ireland and Joan Flanagan, Education
Officer with the European Commission Represen- tation in Ireland.

The competition was open to children aged nine to
11-years-old and living in EU member states.

Adam was presented with a certificate and a trophy
representing the satellite that will be named after him at an awards ceremony
held recently in Astronomy Ireland’s Observatory.

Judge Don Conroy praised Adam’s talent for art.

“The standard of the entries received was very high,

?
said Mr Conroy.

“Adam’s painting and the techniques he used were
impressive and he is a worthy winner.

?

Galileo is a satellite navigation system currently
being built by the European Union (EU) and European Space Agency (ESA).

The programme is intended to provide horizontal and
vertical positions measurements with metre-class precision, independent from
the Russian GLONASS, American GPS, and Chinese Compass systems, which can be
disabled in times of war or conflict.

Galileo will be a free service and provide a global
Search and Rescue (SAR) function through which each satellite that will be
fitted with a transponder that will be able to transfer distress signals from
the Satellite Navigation user to the Rescue Co-ordination Centre.