Twelve Irish students have launched a rocket into space from the space centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida, as part of a graduate programme.
They are the first educational team from any country to send a rocket from the space centre at Cape Canaveral.
The 12 students are the first to participate in the Discover Science programme, a collaboration between FÁS, the Kennedy Space Centre and the Florida Space Institute.
The rocket, travelling at speeds of up to 3,350 mph (Mach 5), relayed information on the projects undertaken by the team during their programme at the Kennedy Space Centre.
The Super Loki 3took 2½ minutes to reach an altitude of 70 miles. The official boundary of space is 50 miles.
Ms Julie Behan, an electronic engineering graduate from Limerick, was the lucky student who pressed the launch button.
The team have worked alongside some of the world's leading specialists in the area of space science and technology, including Dr Sam Durrance, who flew on two Space Shuttle missions dedicated to astronomy.
Funded by FÁS and costing €160,000, the Irish programme is part of a Government initiative designed to help reverse the decline in the number of students studying science and engineering.
The main objectives of the Discover Science Programme are to raise awareness of the sciences and to encourage students to make science a priority and a career choice. Another goal of Discover Science is to create further long-term employment in areas of production, research and development across all sectors within Ireland and to enhance Science as a discipline of adventure and discovery.