Blast Off
Then, Today, Tomorrow was the theme for Science Week 2025. For me, that screamed “Space Exploration”. Therefore I set about planning a drawing workshop with those parameters in mind. My (Then) title was Blast Off, which links to Apollo 11, which I saw live on TV back in 1969. Then also included the Blast Off of the Mars Science Laboratory, aka Curiosity. I was at the launch on November 26th 2011, at the Kennedy Space Centre — one of the best experiences of my life.
Included in the pre-drawing presentation is Dr Norah Patten, who will be Ireland’s first astronaut at some point in 2026. Norah and her team will Blast Off on Virgin Galactic and head for the Karman line on the edge of space. Of course, the Artemis II Mission to go around the moon featured with the crew, the SLS rocket, and the (Tomorrow) plans for Artemis III and the much-awaited new moon landing.
Mars Model
Doing this workshop for local schools was magical. The questions and statements were numerous, interesting and funny. ” Have you ever been to Space “? What is a Parabola? “I would never vomit in Space”. My model of Mars, which I made many years ago, came with me as a point of interest for the children. The model also helped explain the water resources on Mars and the place where Curiosity landed. As I carried the model into the schools, they ran up to ask, “What is that?” “How did you make it “? “Can I carry Mars?” In the classroom, they just wanted to touch it, run their fingers through Valles Marineris, and feel Olympus Mons. Leaving the schools, I had small armies of helpers to get my gear and Mars safely into the car.
All this reminded me of a boy years ago who put up his hand to ask me, “What kind of diesel does that rocket use?” 🙂
Tomorrow
For the Tomorrow theme, I encouraged children to imagine a rocket launching from Co Mayo decades from now. Highlighting how Ireland’s growing role in space can inspire hope and ambition for the children’s futures at home. The UK has seven spaceports. Suas Aerospace is based in Ireland, with plans for a future spaceport on the west coast of Ireland. SUAS means UP in Irish.
They loved the idea !! But in order keep the drawing section within the time frame and on target. I drew the concept in four stages—first, the ground, then the ocean, then the beautiful blue sky for the launch.
Leading the drawing helped kids who don’t draw much approach drawing with soft pastels, without making an enormous mess. They learned the concept of a background. Stage two: I added the rocket beside its tower. The rocket was loosely based on the Atlas V1 that sent Curiosity to Mars.
Blast off Power
Then the best fun for them was adding the power to the page. They had to think about power and how to draw power to make their rockets look like they were really taking off. The last stage of the drawing was to ground it in the locality. Mayo is written in red on the rocket, and SpacePort Mayo is at the top of the page. Some children added flowers to the green grass area.
Drawing anything gives an extra layer of learning to a subject. Creating something exciting in the future, like a rocket launch, makes its possibility more realistic. All the schools that did the workshop held an exhibition of the children’s drawings. Every child got a sticker from the European Southern Observatory. It says “Thinking Big Aiming High” which also blends well with their work. It was my pleasure to send the names of the schools to go around the moon on Artemis II. The mission is due to launch in early February 2026, all going well. You can send your own names on Artemis II here
I wrote about the launch of Curiosity to Mars here
