A Nasa astronaut will today tell a group of Irish schoolchildren what life is like on board the International Space Station.
Dan Tani, who is married to Cork woman Jane Egan, will take part in a live link with young pupils visiting Blackrock Castle Observatory, a new science centre in Cork Institute of Technology.
His wife's parents, Mary and Larry Egan of Kinsale, and his nephews will be among the special guests.
Mr Tani (46) will also celebrate his birthday during the link, to be broadcast live on Nasa TV www.nasa.gov/ntv at 12.30am.
History will be made during the event when a musical piece called Song from Earth, written especially for the astronaut by Kila and Cork's Ger Wolfe, will be beamed direct to the space station.
Nasa will later beam the Beatles track Across the Universe directly into deep space to mark the 50th anniversary of NASA's founding.
Ms Egan met her husband in 1998 when she worked at the Old Head Golf Club in Kinsale, and Mr Tani flew over to Ireland to play. They wed two years later.
Mr Tani, who went out on the Discovery shuttle on October 23rd, hopes to be back on Earth by the end of the month.