Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to bring the Seanad a bit away from its parochial situation to look to the stars and to mention Laurence O'Rourke from Westmeath, one of the joint leaders of the Rosetta project. He is one of the two scientists coordinating the Rosetta mission at the European Space Astronomy Centre in Madrid, a mission that has been very successful. It will give people great support and hope that such a project can be brought about in this era. He graduated from NUI, Maynooth, with an honours degree in physics and mathematics and went on to UCC where he obtained a master's degree in micro-electronics.

The asteroid "9524 O'Rourke" was named in his honour. He stated in Astronomy Irelandthat this mission was to unlock an icy treasure chest. It is a great achievement, but it is more than that.