American space agency NASA has sent a message to an Irish boy who dreams of being a captain there one day.
Cork schoolboy Adam King, six, appeared on the Late Late Toy Show last night with host Ryan Tubridy to tell him and the more than 1.5 million people who had tuned in of his plan for the future.
In a heart-rending moment, Adam climbed out of his wheelchair and explained to Tubridy that while he can’t be an astronaut because he has brittle bones, he most certainly can be a commander on the ground.
The Irish Embassy in Washington had chimed in since the show aired to tweet Adam and tell him they will contact NASA on his behalf.
And NASA has now responded to the little man's appearance.
The agency tweeted: "Adam’s kind heart and adventurous spirit inspires us.
"There’s space for everybody at NASA, and we can’t wait for him to one day join our team of dreamers.
"We’ll be here when he’s ready."
Adam was born with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). It's a condition which causes brittle bone and causes stunted growth which can make him prone to fractures.
Despite these he's still a very active kid - he plays with TWO GAA clubs and soccer with Youghal United. He's also starting tennis next week.
He had travelled up from Youghal with dad David while his siblings Danny, Katie, Robert, and baby Sarah watched with mam Fiona at the family home.
During the show, Tubs got into a rocket before Adam got out of his chair to give him an official countdown.
He was then reunited with his hero, John Doyle, a porter at Temple Street Children's Hospital.
The images of Adam's face lighting up beamed across the globe and his infectious attitude was admired by everyone.
The frontline worker told the nation that “Adam has such an infectious smile that even the darkest planet would light up.”
Emotional dad David told Cork Beo of his pride and said the kid we saw on TV is exactly how he is in real life.
He said: "It's been lovely to see this outpouring from people in Ireland and all over the globe. It's very humbling. To say we're overwhelmed is an understatement.
"It was very emotional watching from backstage, it was beautiful, I was so impressed with how relaxed Adam was.
"Taking away all the wonder and magic of the toy show, as a parent the one thing you want is for your child to feel comfortable and be themselves.
"He did all that, he was absolutely himself and it came across so genuinely on the camera.
"Ryan was masterful with him. You could see they had such a good rapport and it came across so well.
"For him to have such an enjoyable experience, and the fact he got to meet JD was wonderful for him."
