Susan McKenna-Lawlor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Susan McKenna-Lawlor
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Susan McKenna-Lawlor in 2015
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| Born | 3 March 1935 |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Planetary science, Experimental Physics |
| Thesis | A Detailed Study of Phenomena Attending the Disk Passage of an Exceptionally Active Solar Region, 7–21 July 1959 (1976) |
| Doctoral advisor | T.E. Nevin |
Susan McKenna-Lawlor is a famous Irish scientist. She is an astrophysicist, which means she studies space. She looks at things like stars, planets, and comets. She used to be a professor at Maynooth University in Ireland.
Contents
Her Early Life and School
Susan was born in Dublin, Ireland, on March 3, 1935. She loved studying physics. She went to University College Dublin. There, she earned her science degrees. She also worked as a research assistant. This was at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
Later, she became a teacher. She taught experimental physics. This was at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth. She became a full professor in 1986. She retired from teaching in 2000.
Starting a Space Company
In 1986, Susan McKenna-Lawlor started her own company. It is called Space Technology Ireland Ltd (STIL). She started it with a business person named Dermot Desmond. STIL makes special tools for space missions. Susan is the managing director of this company. It is located at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth.
Her Amazing Space Work
Susan McKenna-Lawlor has worked on many important space missions. She helped design instruments. These instruments collect information from space.
- Giotto Mission: She was a main scientist for an experiment. This experiment was on the European Space Agency (ESA) Giotto mission. This spacecraft flew past Halley's Comet.
- Phobos Program: She led a team of scientists. They built a particle detector. This device could find tiny particles in space. It was used on the Soviet Union's Phobos spacecraft. This mission went to Mars's moon, Phobos, in 1988. Because it worked so well, Soviet scientists asked her to help again. They wanted a similar device for their 1994 Mars mission.
- Cluster Mission: She also helped with the ESA Cluster mission. This mission uses four spacecraft. They study Earth's magnetic field.
- Mars Express: She created tools to watch the solar wind. The solar wind is a stream of particles from the Sun. These tools were for the ESA Mars Express mission. This mission is still orbiting Mars.
- Rosetta Mission: Her company, STIL, designed a special computer unit. This unit was for the Rosetta spacecraft. Rosetta traveled to a comet. Susan also represented Ireland. She was on the board for Rosetta's Philae lander. Philae landed on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
Awards and Special Recognition
Susan McKenna-Lawlor has received many awards. These awards recognize her great work.
- In 1986, she won the Rehab People of the Year Award.
- She was chosen to be part of the International Academy of Astronautics. This is a group of top space experts.
- In 2005, she received an honorary science degree. This was from the University of Ulster. It was for her important work in astrophysics.
She was also a member of important groups. These included the National University of Ireland Senate. She was also on Maynooth University's Governing Authority.
