Ashes of Nenaghman are now in Space
The ashes of an expert on space who was born near Newtown, Nenagh, are aboard last Monday’s historic rocket launch in the US, and now set to orbit the sun for eternity.
It’s the final act in the funeral of Dr David C Webb, who was born at Curraghbawn House, just a mile from Youghal Quay, on November 20 1928.
Webb’s ashes, and that of his wife, Liliane, are among human remains from several luminaries that were aboard the Vulcan Centaur rocket that took off for the moon from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2.18am on Monday.
Just after 3am the Peregrine spacecraft separated from the rocket and began its slow journey to the lunar surface, expected to arrive on February 23. However, while now in space, there are doubts that the craft will succeed in the moon landing as it experienced problems with its propulsion system just hours after the launch.
The remains of Mr and Mrs Webb are among 265 capsules with human remains as well as DNA samples from a number of former US presidents. The remains are destined for deep space where they will spend eternity orbiting the sun.
During his lifetime, David C Webb enjoyed a spectacular career in Space academia before his death in 2016.
The rocket mission taking the human remains into deep space also includes those of former astronauts and several actors who performed on the original Star Trek television series.
Also on board is certified DNA from four American Presidents, George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower, John F Kennedy and Ronald Regan, the latter also having roots in County Tipperary.
LOCAL LINK
Born on November 20 1928, Dr Webb, christened David Charles Napier Webb, was the fifth child and second son of Gordon and Cornelia Mary Webb of Curraghbawn, Newtown.
His brother Patrick served in the Royal Air Force during World War II, as had their father, Gordon, in World War I. It is this background that Dr Webb’s family say instilled in him a fascination for aeronautics and all things got to do with flying. His sisters, Pamela, April and Rosemary who grew up with him in Newtown also served during World War II.
An expert on space, he was recruited by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin to serve as founding full professor and Chairman of the Department of Space Studies for the College of Aerospace Sciences, at the University of North Dakota.
There, Dr Webb created and established the world’s first interdisciplinary graduate degree programme in Space Studies in 1987.
He was also Founding Chairman and Trustee Emeritus of the International Space University. In 1995, it established a permanent campus in Strasbourg, France.
During his illustrious career he was a keynote speaker on all aspects of space exploration, technology, and at conferences and other numerous events around the world.
NENAGH VISIT
Back in 2002 he came back on a visit to Nenagh, calling in to the offices of this newspaper in Summerhill where he met and spoke with reporters and the newspaper’s Managing Director, Pat Ryan about his time living in Newtown.
He had returned to Ireland that year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his attempt as a young man to cross the Atlantic with five friends in the ketch, Aisling in 1952. The voyage ended in the Caribbean.
He later moved to Montreal where he attended McGill University, acquiring Masters degrees and later achieving a PhD in international education and development from the University of Pittsburgh.
In subsequent years, moving to the US, Dr Webb became an internationally recognised consultant and proponent for the space programme, and various areas of technology development aimed at attaining a state of global sustainability.
In 1985, he was was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as a member of the National Commission on Space.
Dr Webb served as a consultant to many different organisations involved with space, including NASA.
His late wife Liliane Webb, whom he married in 1974, was an accomplished scholar, linguist, historian, artist and prolific writer.