IRELAND: Irish space enthusiasts, industry figures and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, have expressed sadness at the explosion which killed seven astronauts on board the space shuttle Columbia on Saturday.
Mr David Moore, chairman of Astronomy Ireland, said he was stunned that the shuttle had disintegrated on re-entry.
"We were quite shocked and saddened when we heard. . . our thoughts are with the families of the astronauts," he said. "It was a routine mission so we hadn't been paying too much attention to the shuttle before news of the explosion."
The almost 8,000 members of Astronomy Ireland had been more concerned with scanning the skies for a glimpse of the International Space Station, visible since last Friday night. Mr Moore said there were concerns now about the implications for the space station which may be "mothballed" following the explosion .
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, expressed his "profound sympathy" at the loss of life and offered condolences to the government and people of the US and Israel.
"We all benefit greatly from the scientific successes of NASA's space missions and know of the courage and heroism of those who man these missions," he said. "The thoughts of the Irish people are with the families of the astronauts who were on board Columbia today." Mr Fred Kennedy, managing director of Irish-owned company, Captec, which develops software for satellites within the European Space Programme, also expressed sympathy for the families of the deceased.
"The accident will inevitably have people asking whether there should be a manned space programme in the future but that question will be asked by the public," he said.
"Those working in the space programme know such work is vital and that manned missions are an essential part of any space programme". He added that the accident would not be viewed as a "major setback" in scientific terms by those in the industry.
Scientist and member of the International Association of Astronautics, Prof Susan McKenna-Lawlor, said she joined with the world in mourning the "tragic loss of a space shuttle crew who lost their lives while returning to earth data from over 80 scientific research experiments they had carried out since Columbia was launched on January 16th last".
She said the implications for the space station, to which five shuttle flights had been planned for this year were "profound". "Existing strategies adopted to advance this programme will be subjected to severe and critical assessment in the days ahead," she said.
"It is for pioneers like these to expand the envelope of knowledge that will one day allow mankind to colonise other bodies of the solar system and the inspiration and heroism provided by their individual lives illuminates the flames of the torch they now pass on to others."