AstrotalkUK – Amateur astronomy in the UK

Links to audio and video below.

The 50^th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s UK visit was marked by the unveiling of an aluminium statue of Gagarin, an exact copy of the one outside Lyubertsy Technical School number 10 where Gagarin started his training as a foundryman. The statue, a gift from the Russian federal space agency Roscosmos to the British Council, is located outside the British Council Offices in London but only for one year.

This episode is a collection of some of the speeches and my short interviews during the three events on 14^th July. They were the unveiling of the statue in the morning, the lunchtime reception at the Russian Embassy and the evening reception back at the British council.  So, in order of appearance here is a list of all the contributors in this episode

Unveiling of the statue ceremony was opened by

1. Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council
2. Vladimir Popovkin Head of Roscosmos (speaking in Russian but with a translator)
3. Yuri Gagarin’s oldest daughter – Elena Gagarina unveiled the statue
4. Derek Pullen who provides a brief description of how the statue came from Moscow to London.

Two recordings during the lunchtime Reception at the Russian Embassy where incidentally, Gagarin spent each of his four nights in the UK

1. The Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko,
2. Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, who holds the record for the longest time spent in space

British Council Evening reception

1. Nataliya Koroleva. Chief Designer Sergei Korolev’s daughter. Who gave me a gentle rebuke whilst looking through my book “Yuri Gagarin in London and Manchester” and seeing a photograph of Wernher von Braun and Herman Oberth but not of her father!
2. The episode ends with Ambassador Yakovenko briefly recalling his recent meeting with the queen.

Korolev’s daughter, grand daughter and great grand daughter

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On his first visit outside the eastern bloc, Yuri Gagarin arrived in London for a 5 day visit on Tuesday July 11th 1961. He was greeted with a tumultuous and sincere warm welcome everywhere he went including his meetings with the Prime minister and the Queen. The British government juggled with acknowledging Gagarin personal courage and the Soviet Union’s historic technological achievement whilst assuring its allies, USA, France and West Germany that the visit would not be exploited exclusively as a communist propaganda opportunity.
When the Manchester based Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers discovered that Gagarin had trained as a foundry worker, they invited him to join their union as a honorary member.  He came to Manchester on 12th July and visited the union office, the Metrovicks plant in Trafford Park and the city’s town hall before flying back to London six hours later.

During the late seventies I had lived near this union office and only discovered in 2010 that Gagarin had actually been there. I looked but failed to find any books on the subject so I decide to write one. It is called “Yuri Gagarin in London and Manchester” and attempts to fill in a small bit of the Gagarin story.

The first and last chapters describe Gagarin’s flight, some of the key individuals involved, the air crash that claimed his life in 1968 and his personal impact as an advocate of peace during the Cold War.  In the remaining chapter – 2-7, I document the background to his invitation and details of where he went and who he met.  Some of those recollections are the subject of this episode. It includes clips from Captain Eric Brown and Reg Turnill, longer versions of which are available in episodes 40 and 41.  My thanks to those who contributed to this episode – Reg Turnill, Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw, Brenda Knowles, Marjorie Rose, Stanley Nelson, Captain Eric Brown and Stanislava Sajawizc.

Yuri Gagarin in London and Manchester
185 Pages, 27 Illustrations
ISBN 978-0-9569337-0-6
Paperback £10.00  and eBook (iPad and Kindle) £5.00 available from here
Download a pdf   of  the page of contents, Chapter 2 “An Uneasy Invitation” and the text above or all three in a zip file.

Episode 46 Yuri Gagarin in Manchester and London Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Recollections of Yuri Gagarin in London and Manchester from AstrotalkUK on Vimeo.

Probably the most scientifically demanding Apollo mission, Apollo 15 was launched on 26^th July 1971 on a two week mission. Al Worden in the command module orbited the Moon for 75 orbits whilst Dave Scott and James Irwin explored the south eastern edge of Mare Imbrium on the Moon’s surface.  Apollo 15 launched with the heaviest payload of all Apollo missions and included the first moon rover, a sub-satellite launched from Apollo 15 in to lunar orbit and a collection of science instruments including a high resolution camera to map the lunar surface.

To coincide with the 40^th anniversary, on July 26^th 2011, writing with Francis French Al Worden is publishing his autobiography.  In this interview recorded in London on 22^nd May, Al talks about his test pilot career before joining NASA, the Apollo 15 mission, the “Covers incident” (these were stamped postal covers franked on the day of launch and again the day of ret urn for subsequent public sale) his post NASA career and his autobiography Falling to Earth.

In addition to bringing back 77kg of Lunar Material, high resolution images of the Moon from lunar orbit and images of the zodiacal light, solar corona and gegenschein, Al Worden conducted a 38 minute space walk a day after they fired the engine for their journey home from Lunar orbit.

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Today’s quote is from Al during this interview. It is a reminder that space exploration is not only about cutting-edge technology and breathtaking adventure but it is above all a human endeavour.

“The story of Apollo 15 is a story of betrayal by people and by the government”

Episode 45: 4th July 2011: Apollo 15 Command Module Pilot Al Worden Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Another Yuri Gagarin episode, I know the anniversary of the world’s first spaceflight is over but there is still lots going on over the next few months. There are two contributors in this episode, Chris Riley and Richard Evans.

One of the most successful projects to mark the anniversary is the film First Orbit. The only camera aboard Vostok 1 was on the inside, transmitting live pictures of Gagarin’s face to the nervous engineers who anxiously monitored mankind’s first experience of spaceflight. First Orbit is a remarkably accurate recreation of what Gagarin would have seen compiled from high definition video shot from the space station. Astonishingly, this undertaking of international proportions, was put together by numerous unpaid volunteers and almost three million who have seen it, saw it for free.  It is still available for viewing online and for download – still free. If you want to make a contribution and have a smart phone (Android or Iphone) the First Orbit app will set you back about 70 pence.

First Orbit was produced and directed by Chris Riley along with many other volunteers. Chances are you have already seen the film. Also available from firstorbit.org website is a short but  facinating video about the making of First Orbit.  Chris Riley talks about his next project “Orbit” but begins with how the idea of First Orbit came about.

Yuri Gagarin was in Britain for 5 days, he spent the second one, Wednesday 12^th July 1961, in Manchester.  A major in the Soviet Air Force he started off his career as foundryman.  During his six hours in the city, he visited the head quarters of the Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers in Old Trafford, the Metropolitan Vickers Engineering plant in Trafford Park and concluded with a civic reception in Manchester Town Hall.

The only event in Manchester to mark the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s vist  is an exhibition at the Waterside Arts Centre in Sale running through until 17^th August 2011. The exhibition and program of events have been driven by the science fiction author Richard Evans. He talks about the exhibitiion but starts with his current writing project.

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Today’s quote is from Yuri Gagarin asserting his working class roots during his Manchester visit.

“Although I am doing a different job now, I am still a foundry worker at heart”

First Orbit and Manchster's Yuri Gagarin Exhibition Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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1969 is remembered for the unique event in history, Apollo 11 and the first men, Neil and Buzz on the surface of the Moon. Before the year was out, another three men headed the same way. On November 19^th, Pete Conrad and Alan Bean precision landed Apollo 12 in the Ocean of Storms with in walking distance of Surveyor 3 which had arrived to years earlier. The command module pilot Richard Gordon waited in lunar orbit while Conrad and Bean made two lunar EVAs during the thirty one hours they were on the lunar surface. In April, Capt. Dick Gordon came to Pontefract in England. Gordon is one of several astronauts who have made that particular journey under the auspices of Ken Willoughby. This episode is a video recording starting with my short interview and then the Q&A at the end of his public presentation hence the ambient noise. Ken MacTaggart from the newspaper, the Scotsman was also present in Pontefract  just off the screen. His article is available here.

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Today’s quote is from Apollo 12 commander, Pete Conrad as he stepped on to the surface of the Moon.

“Whoopee! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but it’s a long one for me!”

Captain Dick Gordon Apollo Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Apollo 12 Dick Gordon Episode 43 www.astrotalkuk.org from AstrotalkUK on Vimeo.

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On a cold bright Wednesday morning fifty years ago in the Soviet town of  Turatam, a rocket launched a man into space. A critical initial step for any civilisation that eventually travels to the stars.

Any first is both special and trivial. Special because by definition it only happens once and arises from a complex set of circumstances that happen to come together at that point in time.  It is trivial in the sense that there is nothing necessarily unique about the individuals that are involved. They too are chosen by circumstance largely beyond their control. Driven perhaps by a desire for personal glory, an overwhelming sense of duty or an innate curiosity to explore, the early space travellers and those who facilitated it overcame personal challenges, exhaustive training and exposure to unrivalled grave danger to bring a new experience to mankind.

Less than a month after his 27^th birthday, Yuri Gagarin was launched into space aboard Vostok 1. Fifty years on, there are now around 550 human beings to have experienced spaceflight in Earth orbit. Of all the orbital spaceflights Gagarin’s 108 minute flight is the shortest. It was his only spaceflight. He died in an air crash in 1968 whilst training to return to spaceflight.

In the immediate aftermath of his flight, Gagarin embarked on what turned out to be pretty much a world tour. In July 1961 he came to Britain at the invitation of the Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers, because prior to joining the Soviet Air Force, Gagarin had trained and worked as a foundryman. He ended up meeting the British Prime Minister in London and the Queen invited him for lunch at Buckingham Palace, but he came to Manchester first because that is where the union was based. Gagarin visited the union headquarters where he was made their first honorary member and awarded a gold medal inscribed with the word “together moulding a better world”. He went on to visit a foundry in Trafford Park (the world’s first purpose built and largest industrial estate) and then Manchester Town Hall for a civic reception where he met Sir Bernard Lovell director of Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope that had assisted in the tracking of Soviet satellites and spaceships.

This week’s episode is the story of a short, originally 16mm cine film partially with audio recorded during Gagarin’s visit to Manchester on 12^th July 1961.  The film shows Gagarin’s arrival at Manchester Ringway Airport, the presentation ceremony at the union office in Old Trafford, his visits to the foundry workers in Trafford Park and the Manchester Town Hall. The roll of film was discovered unlabelled in a cupboard in 1986 as the union prepared to move out of the building that Gagarin visited to another.  The discovery was made by Alf Lloyd, a Union Regional Officer and colleague. It had no label and was almost discarded.  Alf Lloyd presented the film to the Manchester based North West Film Archive in 1987.

In early 2011, by chance, I had been in contact with space historian Francis French, who is from Manchester but is now the Director of Education at San Diego Air and Space Museum in California . In 1987 he was researching Gagarin’s visit to Manchester when he was shown a cine film in a Manchester union office on a cine projector. During the screening a part of the film broke off and he was given the broken segment as a gift.  Fortunately, Francis kept that segment safe and recognised that his segment was part of the same roll of film. After almost a quarter of a century later the two sections have been once again digitally reunited and an edited version is available online at Astrotalkuk.org.  The original film resides with the Northwest Film Archive.

Not least because of his humble family origins but also because of his deep communist principles, the empathy and warmth Gagarin experienced during his meeting with the foundry workers in Trafford Park was genuine and sincere. On 12th April 1962, the first anniversary of his flight, Gagarin sent a message to the Foundry Workers in Manchester via Moscow Radio’s English service. The message starts with the words “Dear Brothers”, and goes on to recall his experience of his visit to Manchester and includes the moving statement “The firm handshakes of my fellow workers in the moulding workshops were dearer to me than many awards”.

The original recording had audio on only two sections. The first audio section is a record of  the presentation of the honorary membership at the union office by the AUFW president Fred Hollingsworth. In the second audio section, Gagarin fields questions at the reception in Manchester Town Hall. Gagarin did not speak English, his translator is Boris Biletsky.

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Today’s quote is from Yuri Gagarin himself. When you read the text of his speeches, reports in newspapers and his formal messages, one reoccurring topic is about peace and friendship. Much is, no doubt, simple rhetoric, a response to the prevailing cold war uncertainties, and even political propaganda. On reflection, however, I think much of it was honest, heartfelt and a genuine expression of his personal desire for peace and friendship. In a New Year’s greeting message of 1962 he states

“May this year be a year of peace on Earth and may the friendship between British and Soviet peoples develop and grow stronger”

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Reg Turnill joined the BBC in 1956 with the remit to cover aviation and defence. The launch of Sputnik 1 in the following year expanded his remit to include space. He is particularly well known for his coverage of the American Apollo program. In the UK, his name and face, along with that of Patrick Moore and James Burke, is associated with the commentators who covered live the Apollo Moon landings on the BBC.

In April 1961, Reg was sent to Moscow for Gagarin’s first post flight international news conference. It turned out to be a fascinating story of cold war politics as well as leading edge space technology. In his own words Reg describes this as “ a phony press conference, an entirely choreographed event designed to humiliate the west” and he summarised the whole press conference as “good humoured evasion”. Interacting through an interpreter and restricted to pre submitted written questions, he had to put aside his usual analytical approach. However he recognises that this was “a great achievement”. This interview was recorded on January 19th 2011 at his home on the south coast of England.
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Today’s quote is from Reg Turnill’s book “The Moon Landings: An Eye Witness Account”. Following John Glen’s second spaceflight in October 1998, Reg at 83 the oldest working space correspondent, asked John Glen, the oldest man in space, a question. In part Glen answered
“Old folk have ambitions and dreams too, like everybody else. So why don’t they work for them? Don’t sit on the couch. Go for it”

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Reg Turnill talks about Yuri Gagarin’s first press conference from AstrotalkUK on Vimeo.

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On the third of Gagarin’s five days in Britain, immediately following his meeting with Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, on Thursday 13^th July 1961,  he had the only private meeting of his visit with Captain Eric Brown where the press was not invited, no photographs were taken and no official record was kept.  During this “test pilot” to “test pilot” meeting, Gagarin clearly told Brown that he had ejected from his spacecraft. Although not in the same league as Brown, Brown did consider Gagarin as a test pilot. The Soviets consistently maintained that he had not but eventually, a decade later hey conceded officially that he had. When I asked Captain Brown why he had never published the details of his private meeting before, “no one asked me before” replied.

At the time Captain Brown was the deputy director of Naval Warfare and the meeting took place between him, his deputy and colleague from the Admiralty who could speak Russian but that was kept secret from Gagarin and Belitsky. Brown sought additional confidence that the translator was translating sincerely.

Captain Brown has had a unique career as a test pilot. He had met many of the key players in aviation and rocket design. Hanna Reitsch, Herman Goering and Wernher Von Braun. Brown’s achievements as a test pilot were well established and it is probably with the knowledge of his accomplishments that the Soviets agreed to such a meeting. Brown still holds the world record in deck landings (2407) and the number of aircraft types flown (487). He also has several firsts (first deck landing of a twin engine aircraft, first deck landing of a jet engine) of which the Russian’s and Gagarin would have known. By 1960, many of his books were available in translation in technical colleges which young aviators like Gagarin would have come across. It is likely that Gagarin new of Brown and wanted to meet Brown just a much as Brown wanted to meet Gagarin.

Immediately following the war, Brown was inevitably involved in supersonic flight testing and reached speeds up to mach 0.9. He was testing a secret high performance aircraft designated as the Miles M52 which was suddenly and suspiciously dropped in 1946. Had it not been, it was very likely that Brown would have added first supersonic flight to his collections of firsts. In the event Chuck Jaeger in USA claimed that achievement in 1947.

He is considered to be the greatest ever test pilot by some within the aviation industry.

An extensive interview, recorded in his home on 19^th January two days before his 92^nd birthday, is edited specifically for his recollections about Yuri Gagarin.

Eric Winkle Brown and Major Yuri Gagarin Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Captain Eric Brown and Yuri Gagarin – 13th Juy 1961 from AstrotalkUK on Vimeo.

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Today’s quote is about how we humans relate to each other> It is from Captain Eric Brown’s book “Wings on my sleeves”. He is sent to France with three former German officers to recover a high performance German aircraft during the winter of 1945/6.&nbsp
A kind of friendship with sincerity in it grew up amongst us. If they had wanted to they could have easily disposed of me and made a run for it. But they carried out their duties to the letter and often exceeded it.

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Since the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, thousands of unmanned spacecraft have been launched, mostly to Earth orbit, but many have gone to the inner and outer planets, and four of them have pretty much left the Solar System altogether.

European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft arrived at Mars in 2003 and is still operating almost a decade later. It is operated by people in a profession initiated by the space age itself. Spacecraft Operations Engineers are the individuals who quietly take over the responsibility of spacecraft after the nerve wrenching excitement of the launch is over.

Thomas Ormston, a Spacecraft Operations Engineer for VEGA Space GmbH, working at the European Space Operations Centre on the European Space agency’s Mars Express mission describes in this episode the steps involved in controlling Mars Express from over one hundred million miles from Earth.

The Hubble Space Telescope is the single instrument that has probably contributed more to science in the last decade than any other. Its success is not the size of its 2.4m mirror, there are many larger telescopes on Earth but its location.

Many amateur astronomers have captured images of Mars using a webcam. Such images are usually tiny but with integration techniques a surprising amount of surface details is visible. What would it be like if you could put that webcam in Martian orbit? Thomas and his colleagues have done just that.

Several ESA spacecraft have an attached Visual Monitoring Cameras (VMC),  usually installed for a very specific purpose. Mars Express had one to monitor the release of Beagle 2, after that it was switched off. Thomas describes the details behind the project that reactivated the camera in a paper published online and the fascinating video compiled from 600 images taken by the VMC webcam during the 7 hour Martian orbit on 27^th May 2010. It continues to take images which are posted here.

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Today’s quote from John Lennon is about the critical importance of the role of human understanding in interpreting the real world, even when you have all the evidence that you could possible desire.

Reality leaves a lot to the imagination

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Audio

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Episode 39: March 19th 2011 – Spacecraft Operations from AstrotalkUK on Vimeo.

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Going in to space was nothing more than a dream for many of us for such a long time. But things are changing profoundly and fast. Once human spaceflight was only possible as part of a national government project. Then a decade ago Denis Tito (on 28th April 2001) became the first self funding astronaut by signing a cheque for $20 million.

Now in 2011, Spaceflight has never been easier or cheaper. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has now brought the price down to $200,000 for a brief suborbital flight. Imagine spaceflight for the price less than that of a small house in London. In the year that marks the 50th anniversary of human spaceflight, it is about time isn’t it?

A familiar name in the astronomical community, Nigel Henbest a writer, broadcaster and television producer took a not too deep breath and signed on the dotted line and is now on the road to his space experience in the next year or two.

As the private sector develops  perhaps the commercial spaceflight market will experience the same rapid innovation and price reduction we  saw in the personal computer market. Is it too speculative to imagine that within a few years the price of a sub orbital flight will come down perhaps to that of a family car?

In this episode Nigel, talks about why he wants to go in to space and the steps involved in the process of getting there.  Nigel has written about his flight here and to see a high resolution image of the huge Virgin Galactic brochure click the image.

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This episode’s quote

You see things and say why? But I dream things that never were and say why not?
George Bernard Shaw

Listen to Audio [ 31:59 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Want to be an astronaut? from AstrotalkUK on Vimeo.

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On November 3rd this year, Professor Jim Al-khalili was to give three lectures in Liverpool on the same day (Quantum Physics, Advances in Mathematics in Medieval Islam and On the Shoulders of Eastern Giants: the Forgotten Contribution of the Medieval Physicists). I did feel a bit of a stalker, I attended all three, but fortunately I was not alone.

It is not often that I get to personally witness the scientific method in real life. The most illuminating part of the day of the three lectures was the the Q and A following the second lecture. A questioner put her hand up and stated clearly that she had a correction rather than a question. She had heard the professor talk about the concept and symbol for the number zero. During his lecture, the professor had recalled the contribution from the Babylonians, Mayans and Indian mathematicians. The questioner had been researching the substantial contribution from the Egyptians in this area which the professor had not mentioned. What happened next was an affirmation of the scientific method.

The professor could have been defensive, confrontational or dismissive. Instead, he listened to her argument and asked her to stay behind to so he could learn details of her research. That is the power of the scientific idea. It stands only on the edifice of evidence and not the economic wealth, social position or academic reputation of those who hold it.

The progress of scientific knowledge is not continuous and linear but evolves through a series of stops and starts. Thomas Kuhn, in his 1962 book “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” described the progress of science as periodic “paradigm shifts”. He was referring to the fundamental differences in thinking that have lead to leaps in scientific understanding.

Could that stop and start concept describe how science develops through the ages too? Scientific discoveries are frequently lost, forgotten or deliberately suppressed. So the story of scientific discovery is frequently a story of rediscovery. William Harvey ‘s discovery in 1628 of the human heart and circulation of blood though the human body had much in common with that of Ibn al-Nafis 400 years earlier. Nicolas Copernicus is credited in the 16^th century with introducing the heliocentric system (placing the Sun not the Earth, in the centre of the solar system) but this idea had been propounded by Aristarchus in the third century BC.

The omissions are not just in science. One example of technological development lost for over a thousand years that sticks out like a sore thumb is the Antikythera mechanism, a device for calculating and displaying relative positions of the Sun, Moon and planets. The precision of the internal mechanism would not be repeated for over a thousand years.

Why these omissions occur is unclear. History, like science is always a work in progress. Reflecting on why the ancient Greek tradition of scientific method stalled, Carl Sagan in his celebrated work, Cosmos, concluded that their society was elitist and self serving. Key figures like Plato were hostile to experiment and perpetuated the idea that human thought alone was sufficient to explain the physical world. This intellectually corrupt approach sustained their slave owning unjust society. Search for truth was not their goal.

In his new book “Pathfinders” Professor Al-Khalili attempts to fill “a” gap in the history of science by revisiting the work done by the Arabic scholars during the period known in Europe as the dark ages. It is not a story of Islamic science but of science conducted in the Arabic language which has its roots in Islam. For around 600 years (from 9^th to the 15^th century), sandwiched between Greek and Latin, the international language of science was Arabic.

A professor of theoretical nuclear physics in the University of Surrey, he was born in Baghdad to a Christian mother and a Muslim father. As an atheist , Jim Al-Khalili, emphasizes the role of Islamic, Persian, Christian and Jewish scholars who not only translated the work of the ancient Greeks but enhanced and developed it. Just as the ancient Greeks took the concept of an alphabet from the earlier Phoenician civilization and developed the written language, the scientific (re)discoveries we traditionally associate with the European Renaissance were built in turn on the progress during this golden age of Arabic science.

Professor Jim Al-Khalili has his own podcast but here is a recording we made for this one just prior to the start of his three lecture session. To start off with, I asked about his personal interest in astronomy.

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The quote for this episode is from the prophet Mohammed and in chapter 2 of Pathfinders.

“The ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the martyr”

Progress of Science throgh the Ages [ 19:17 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Next year April 12th  2011 marks the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s,  mankind’s,  first steps  into space. It was a product of the accumulated technology of many countries over many years but particularly driven by the the political landscape resulting from the 2nd world war. Since then successful robotic missions have visited the planets, asteroids and comets. 24 men have gone to the moon and a dozen have even walked on its surface.

Subsequent achievements have fallen short of the expectations raised in the wake of Gagarin’s flight. Gagarin himself  spoke openly about his desire to go to the moon and Mars. That sounds like a pipe dream now but back in 1961, he was absolutely serious and realistic.

So what happened? Had the space race been won when Neil and Buzz landed on the Moon? Had the motivation borne out of political rivalries of the cold war finally been exhausted? Perhaps, the problems closer at home of poverty, population growth, environmental concerns  raced to the top of the political agenda and forced  governments into a pragmatic reconsideration on how they spent their cash?

Big questions. Too big for this episode where Dr Chris Welch from Kingston University provides a brief outline of the current status of the Space policy here in the UK.   Dr Welch  also happens to be the chair of the of the recently launched YuriGagarin50 group which has amongst its aims:

Stimulate celebration and recognition of the global significance of Gagarin and his flight – ‘the first person in space, the first person to see the Earth as a planet’.

After his flight Yuri Gagarin embarked on a world tour which included a 4 day visit to the UK which surprisingly included a visit to Manchester on 12th July 1961. By chance, Gagarin’s first job was as a moulder in a foundry in Moscow.   He came to the UK and Manchester at the invitation of the Manchester based Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers. I will be producing another episode  focusing on Gagarin’s UK visit next year. Did you see Gagarin in July 1961? Do you know someone who did? Share your memories. Drop me a note at info@astrotalkuk.org.

With many months to go to next year’s 50th anniversary, there are several events already being planned  to celebrate mankind’s first steps in to space. Keep an eye on the events calendar at  www.yurigagarin50.org

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The quote for this episode is from the Soviet government in 1961 following Gagarin’s success in Vostok 1. Perhaps they were deliberately winding up the Americans but there is something warm and reassuring to see a couple of familiar words in the quote  “all mankind” that are on the plaque left on the Moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts. A 1961 official Soviet Government and Communist Party announcement said.

“We regard these victories in the conquest of outer space not only as the achievement of our people but as an achievement of all mankind”

A video version of this podcast is available on Vimeo here.

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A man playing golf on the moon is one of the images permanently etched into the collective memory of humanity’s first exploration of the moon. The so called “golf player” was Alan Shepard the guy with him was Dr Edgar Mitchell whilst Stuart Roosa orbited the moon in the command module. Today, Ed Mitchell, two months away from his 80^th birthday is the only remaining member of the Apollo 14 crew.

On a recent visit to Pontefract, organised once again by Ken Willoughby, he describes his personal journey to the moon. Amongst other things he highlights his javelin throw which, by a narrow margin, beat the golf ball, as a picture in his presentation illustrates. He spent nine hours on the surface of the moon during two EVAs on February 5^th and 6^th 1971. Apollo 14 was his only space flight and he left NASA in the following year.

Ed Mitchell is perhaps best known for his epiphany moment on the return journey to Earth when he experienced a unique spiritual sensation which has dominated his professional and personal life ever since. To help understand it, he left NASA and establish the Institute of Noetic Sciences. Over the last few years he has frequently spoken publicly about his interest in the paranormal, ESP and UFOs. He asserts that the Roswell incident was real, aliens have landed on the Earth and the US military is responsible for a cover-up.

It is strange that someone (a navy pilot and an Apollo astronaut) with a professional life dominated by leading edge science and technology can hold such an unscientific position. He appears oblivious to the contradiction in referring to himself as an astrophysicist and yet accepting Fred Hoyle’s Steady State explanation of cosmology, for which there is little evidence, over the Big Bang. I wonder how he explains Hubble’s law and the expansion of space, Cosmic microwave background radiation and the relative abundance of primordial elements.

I really should have asked him. I did not in part out of deference. Despite his age and unusual views, he remains a member of a unique group of individuals with a special contribution to human history. Who knows, he may well turn out to be right. In the meantime, the main road of science, directed by the sign posts of  observational evidence, is probably still the  best path to a more accurate understanding of the cosmos.

Dr Mitchell was kind enough to share his power point slides which I have incorporated into the hour long video presentation. Links to that presentation and a video version of this episode below.

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An increasingly familiar quote from someone else who made a huge contribution to how we should go about understanding the cosmos. Carl Sagan.

“I believe that the extraordinary should be pursued. But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” .

Episode 35 Dr Edgar Mitchell Apollo 14 [ 17:16 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Episode 35 – Video (10 minutes)

Dr Edgar Mitchell 2nd July 2010 from AstrotalkUK on Vimeo.

Nestling in a valley amongst the rolling green hills of the Eifel region of western Germany is the 100m Effelsberg steerable radio telescope. Similar to the Lovell telescope at Jodrell Bank which is on the plains of Cheshire in northwest England which can be seen from miles away. The  Effelsberg telescope  is situated in a valley so it easy to pass close by and not see it.

It is an international facility. Participating in Very Long Base Interferometry (VLBI) where physical links are necessary with other countries it also hosts astronomers from many other countries  and participates in global research projects. Although its website may appear a littel dated, Effelsberg has a surprisingly rich online presence including the current schedule and of course the now mandatory webcam.

Effelsberg is a leading player in a new international project called LOw Frequency ARray or LOFAR.  Lofar targets the low frequency range between 10MHZ and 250MHZ. However, for many years commercial FM radio stations, the local emergency services and the aviation industry have been using frequencies between 90MHZ and 108MHZ so Lofar range is split in to two bands. Low (10-90MHZ) and high (108 – 250MHZ). Thus there are in fact three telescopes at Effelsberg.

On a recent visit, Dr Norbert Junkes talked about the previous, current and new activities taking place at Effelsberg.

Episode 34 [Audio] Effelsberg Radio Telescope [ 0:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Episode 34 [Video] Effelsberg Radio Telescope [ 0:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you had the task of gathering all of humanity’s knowledge of cosmology in one place, how would you do it? Answers to questions such as, How big is the Earth? At what date and time will the Moon be full again? What makes the Sun shine? How old is the Universe? Today a good place to start the project would be to scour the sources online. In about 150AD Claudius Ptolemaeus, better known as Ptolemy, a Greek national with Roman citizenship living in Egypt, attempted to do just that. He is best known for his encyclopaedic work written in ancient Greek “Syntaxis Mathematica”, perhaps better known as the Almagest from the Arabic Al magisti “the greatest”. He was an industrious author of many scientific and mathematical treaties but he also collected works going back hundreds of years.

The Almagest was the premier source of knowledge for describing the cosmos for almost two thousand years. Nothing of the original survives, only hand written copies of hand written copies.

Today’s episode is partially about one such copy, A seven hundred year old manuscript identified recently in the special collections of the Brotherton Library in the University of Leeds. Only parts of it is the Almagest. The manuscript was kept by Anthony Askew,   Joseph windham and then  lord Brotherton who donated it to the University of Leeds.

This episode is also about how information is transmitted through history. The value that successive individuals, societies and civilisations put on them. The inevitable errors in the mishmash of translations over hundreds of years from one language (Ancient Greek, Syriac, Arabic, Latin and English) to another or the periodic attempts by one scribe to diligently copy the work of another. In early 2009 Dr Regine May and Professor Malcolm Heath came across a 14^th century manuscript catalogued as a work of Astrology and discovered it contained elements of Ptolemy’s Almagest. The manuscript in three volumes has yet to receive detailed  scholarly scrutiny.

In today’s episode there are 4 contributors.  Dr Regine May outlines how the almost accidental discovery of this manuscript came about and Dr Oliver Pickering, the keeper of the special collections describes how the library acquired the manuscript. A live recording of Professor Malcolm Heath, Dr Allan Chapman and Dr Oliver Pickering inspecting the manuscript in the Brotherton Library.

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Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher of the late 19th century who read and wrote about the ancient Greek culture. Perhaps it was the writings from the ancient Greek civilisation which lead him to conclude The future influences the present just as much as the past.

Standard Podcast [ 35:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Sir Patrick Moore is primarily known for his work on the long running TV series, The Sky at Night but he is an author, musician and an observational astronomer, too. He is also a former director of the Armagh Planetarium, a co-founder of the Society for Popular Astronomy and a former president of the British Astronomical Association.

His autobiography was published when he was Eighty in 2003. It is upfront, strongly opinionated, potentially uncomfortable in places for some and remarkably honest. He writes unapologetically with the political correctness of an earlier generation. He recounts his meetings with many of the key contributors in science and astronomy of the late twentieth century. It is a unique personal account of the development of astronomy and science during a fascinating period humanity’s exploration of space. An absolute “must read” for those of us who grew up with Sky at Night.

I met  Sir Patrick Moore at his home in Selsey, called Farthings, on 20^th of August 2009. He was an extremely hospitable host. We discussed several themes of his autobiography Eighty Not Out, and we started with cricket.

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Today’s quote, reflecting his tongue-in-cheek and humorous approach to to life, is from Patrick Moore himself.

At my age I do what Mark Twain did. I get my daily paper, look at the obituary and if I am not in there I carry on as usual.

Sir Patrick Moore – The Sky at Night from AstrotalkUK on Vimeo.

Sir Patrick Moore [ 25:23 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Forty years ago a revolutionary higher education institution for adults was established in the UK. Students enrolled in the Open University two years later in 1971. This model of higher education has now spread across the globe.

Today, the Open University plays a strong and active role in the exploration of space in collaboration with ESA and NASA. The first bit of human technology to touch the surface of  Titan was an instrument made by a team at the OU under Professor  John Zarnecki. The unsuccessful Beagle 2 mission to Mars was headed by OU Professor Colin Pillinger.  Currently, it is working on  projects including Darwin, Stardust, Rosette and Genesis.

Today’s episode is a special recording with Professor Barrie Jones of the Open University. Special because during the Eighties, I studied several of the courses which he helped to develop and presented on the the late night OU TV programs.

Professor Jones joined the Open University in 1972 and since 2006 is the emeritus professor of astronomy.  He recalls people he worked with at Cornell including Tom Gold, Frank Drake, Carl Sagan and the early days of Gamma Ray astronomy from balloons.

His distinguished career has spanned several decades, arguably the most scientifically productive decades in the history of astronomy, over that time, his research has spanned the electromagnetic spectrum. Although retired, he continues to write, research and lecture mainly in Astrobiology.

Initially he started working on Gamma Rays at Bristol University and then Infra Red astronomy during his time at Cornell. I asked if he had been involved with radio and optical astronomy too?

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As the UK government recently announced further cuts in the higher education budget, today’s quote is from Derek Bok .

If you think education is expensive – try ignorance.

Professor Barrie Jones [ 18:27 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In size, mass and orbit Venus is the nearest Earth has to a twin in the Solar System. It is the brightest object in the sky after the sun and moon, hottest planet in the solar system, has a day longer than its year, is named after the Roman goddess of love and yet it has a deadly atmosphere and its the one planet that gets closer to the Earth than any other.

In this episode, recorded in late 2008, Professor Fred Taylor, Jesus College Oxford, talks about the Venus Express mission.

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This week’s quote is my rather obtuse reference to the runaway greenhouse effect on the planet Venus. Its from Will Rogers and its what he says to his niece on  seeing Venus de Milo in the Louvre in Paris.

“See what will happen if you don’t stop biting your fingernails?”

Standard Podcast [ 13:31 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

On this day 40 years ago the crew of Apollo 11 fulfilled one of mankind’s longest held dreams and walked on the surface of the Moon. One of them Buzz Aldrin in episode 12 of ATUK, recalled a little of that experience.

Today’s episode is a short recording with Fred Haise when he visited Pontefract as arranged by Ken Willoughby. Incidentally, Jim Lovell is also visiting Pontefract in Yorkshire on October the 2^nd 2009. If you are close to northern England on that date consider stopping by. Of the twelve men who walked on the Moon only nine remain.

Apollo 13 astronauts Fred Haise along with Jim Lovell and Jack Swigert were arguably the subject of the 20^th century’s most dramatic events and the subject of the film Apollo 13.

Fred Haise never made it to the surface of the Moon.

He served on the back-up crew for the Apollo 8, Apollo 11, Apollo 16 moon missions and was also scheduled as commander for the cancelled Apollo 19 mission. As a backup he could have been on the first mission to the moon (Apollo 8), first moon landing (Apollo 11) and of course commanded his own mission on Apollo 19 but the Apollo program was cancelled after Apollo 17.

Remember the first Shuttle – Enterprise, on the back of a modified 747? Between February and October of 1977 it flew 16 times to perform the approach and landing test of what would become the Shuttle Transport System which is due to conclude next year 2010. Fred Haise was involved in 5 of those. Three of which involved the Enterprise in free flight.

When I spoke to Fred during the dinner on the day before this recording, he came across as an ordinary guy who did not consider himself to be “special” but just around in the right place at the right time. During the course of the evening he spoke to many who were present but most of the evening had gone by and I had not had a chance to say hello. Then suddenly he approached from a corner of the room and said “Hello, I’m Fred Haise, I don’t think we’ve met”. In the short conversation that followed he indicated that fishing was his primary hobby and although his trip aboard Apollo 13 was dramatic he had an eventful life before and after it too.

Sure, it is impossible to have a deep insight from a couple of short meetings. Perhaps, it was the ease with which he used my first name (which some people find heavy going) and conversed as if I had always known him. There was something special about the ordinary way he conducted himself. He had accepted the extreme high and low experiences in his life as nothing more than an occupational hazard. Apollo 13 as the only space flight he ever made.

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This week’s quote is from Carl Sagan

There are many worlds we have never seen before. Only one generation in the history of the human species is privileged to live during the time those great discoveries are first made; that generation is ours.

episode28 [ 9:24 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A different, interesting and at times a little silly episode this week. 

Professor L Gay from the Southern University Edwardsville Illinois (SUEI) and Swinburne Astronomy Online but you will may be familiar with her voice on the probably most popular Astronomy podcast Astronomy Cast.

This recording was made in Oxford during her visit in March this year.

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This week’s quote is from Anne Morrow Lindberg

“Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.”

Astronomy on the web [ 17:57 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Everyone who comes across the Antikythera mechanism goes through a phase initially of disbelief and then the awe inspiring realisation that something almost from another world actually exists in ours.

Imagine William Shakespeare writing Hamlet using a laptop. Surely a ridiculous proposition he was about 300 years too early for that. He didn’t but today’s topic is just as incredible but thanks to the presence of physical evidence- true.

The bronze department of the Museum in Athens has a small device slightly bigger than a pocket dictionary which has spent 2000 years under the Mediterranean Sea. Its is a hand made hand operated mechanical mechanism which may have looked like a multi handed clock. This remarkably compact device can display the calendar, predict eclipses, illustrate the phase of the moon, indicate the position of most of the planets and even takes account of the precession of the lunar orbit. The mechanism is driven by a collection of precision gear wheels made in Greece about 100 BC and nothing like it would be made again for at least another 1000 years.

My thanks to members of the Manchester Astronomical Society who arranged this visit for Tony Freeth to come and talk to them, and Conway Mothobi of the Manchester Metropolitan University hosting the event where this recording was made. My thanks of course to Tony Freeth for making the time on the day.

Videos on Youtube

• Michael Wrights’ working model
• Nature Video: Antikythera Mechanism Part 1
• Nature Video: Antikythera Mechanism Part 2
• X-Ray images of the Antikythera
• An excellent version of the Antikythera Mechanism made with Lego.
  

antikythera Mechanism [ 25:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tony Freeth [ 0:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Science is the product of human intellect, creativity and imagination. It helps answers the profoundest of all questions. Where did life come from? How old is the Earth? What is the structure of the universe? How did humans come to be? As the history of science shows, as it progresses so does the nature, accuracy and reliability the answers to such questions. The scientific picture of the physical world is a provisional and an ever changing one.

Science is not the only way to understand the world and our place within it.  Majority of the time humans have existed most of them have been equally content and secure with different answers to the same fundamental questions. For them ancient holly texts provide unambiguous solutions. Science is not needed because it is not required.

The debate between science and religion is as intriguing and contentious today in the 21st century as it has always been. Science progresses by actively challenging its core tenants through the rational exercise of reason. On the other hand religious beliefs have divine origins, don’t require changing and are thus inherently stronger.

There are surprising large number of high profile scientist who are also committed to a particular faith. Perhaps they can shed some light on how they reconcile this apparent contradiction.

Dr Allan Chapman who is not a scientist but a historian of science and a practising Christian with a particular interest in the history of astronomy talks about science and religion.  He is the author of several books including biographies on Mary Summerville and Robert Hook. Perhaps he is better known  for  “Gods in the Sky”  and as the presenter the  of the three part series of the same name on channel4.

Science and religion [ 32:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Chris Lord  of Blackpool & District Astronomical Society continues the story of the telescope leading up to its use by Galileo for astronomical observations.

Ibn Sahl and Ibn al-Haythem were two scholars who during the 10th and 11th century developed the fundemental mathematical principles of refraction, reflection and dispersion and kick started the science of optics. Chris concludes this 2nd part at that point in history which marks the beginning of the telescope – Galileo’s profound astronomical discoveries in 1609.

episode24 [ 24:22 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Hans Lipperhey’s patent application in the Netherlands for a telescope was formally denied on 2nd October 1608. Nonetheless, it is that individual, that place and that date which history associates with the invention of the telescope. Most of us are aware of the fundamental astronomical discoveries Galileo went on to make with it in the following year but could they have been made earlier?

Three thousand years ago, in what today is  Iraq , the  Nimrud lens now in the British Museum is clearly recognised as a lens. It probably could not have been used as part of an astronomical telescope but it is evidence that strongly indicates that lenses were in use long before Lipperhey and Galileo. The Pharos lighthouse in Alexandria is another illlustration of the advance understanding of optics in ancient times.

Chris Lord is an accomplished amateur astronomer and member of Blackpool & District Astronomical Society. He has recently completed a major piece of research in telescopes and optics to mark the International Year of Astronomy in 2009.

In this Episode, Chris talks about at the theory of vision, optics and the making and use of lenses during the almost two centuries from Euclid to Galileo.

episode23 [ 16:58 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As episode 21 indicated, the power of science fiction to motivate the imagination is perhaps as strong as science itself.

1957 is known for the launch of Sputnik but it was also the year that the scientist Fred Hoyle published a science fiction novel called The Black Cloud. One of its readers in Italy would be inspired by it to  become an astronomer and embark on a career which involves the scientific study such clouds.

Professor Paola Caselli was that reader and since the autumn of 2007 has been the professor of Astronomy at the University of Leeds where Fred Hoyle had been a student. Her area of interest is the study of those regions of space of dust and gas (“dark clouds”) from which stars and planet eventually form.

Dust comes in many forms – cosmic, cometery and interplanetary dust which is responsible for the zodiacal dust we can see from Earth. Professor Caselli investigates cosmic dust grains (atoms or molecules of Silicon, Magnesium, Carbon and others) which act like magnets and help suck out the volatiles from a dust cloud in the early stages of star formation. Some of these process are probably taking place right now in the recently announced discovery of HL Tau and its associated proto planet HL Tau b.

She will be speaking on “From Interstellar Clouds to Planets: the Universal Factory“at the now famous, Leeds Astromeet on Saturday 15th November at the University of Leeds.

Episode22 [ 33:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Professor Mark Brake from the University of Glamorgan has an eclectic interest. An academic, broadcaster and author of science and popular science books, he is the organising chair for the the third conference of the Astrobiology Society of Britain: ASB3: The Living Universe, will take place in Cardiff between July 1-4, 2008. We spoke about the relationship between science & science fiction and astrobiology.

episode21 [ 19:11 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As the European city of Culture, Liverpool has more than its fair share of activities this year. Many have an astronomy connection. In today’s episode Andy Newsam from Liverpool John Moores University, Joanne Coleman from the British Association for the Advancement of Science talks about the Science Festival between 6th and 11th of September and Gary Evans from the sciencephoto library on a unique exhibition of astronomical images called Earth to the Universe which is already underway.

All of these take place in Liverpool as it celebrates its role as the 2008 European City of Culture. Infact, if you do see this in time and are close enough to Liverpool there is in interesting lecture this Thursday 17th June 18:30, Chadwick Lecture Theatre, University of Liverpool. Robert Fosbury, is talking about How Astronomers Image the Sky.

Episdoe20:European City of Culture - Astronomy in Liverpool [ 33:06 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

There are many ways to participate in and learn about astronomy online.

In today’s episode, three examples of how the web is being used to share resources and build communities around Science http://www.sciencefile.org Space http://www.space.co.uk and Astronomy http://www.fedastro.org.uk .

Many astronomical societies are preparing or have already completed a program of speakers for the 2008/9 season. If you are a member I would encourage you exploit one or better still all three resources featured in today’s episode to advertise you societies events. You will be surprised at the visitors who may turn up.

episode19 [ 27:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Since the days of Sputnik and Apollo, Space technology has matured to an extent that it is almost a routine commercial activity. China, India and Japan are well established players in addition to USA and Russia. Next year the Virgin Galactic will embark on space tourism. Since its establishment in 1975, the European Space Agency ( ESA) has come a long way. The original 10 founding member countries have now grown to 17 with a broad mission to “Explore Space”. All member countries are European as you would expect – except one. With the same disregard for geography that allows Israel to join the Eurovision song contest, Canada also plays a part in ESA.

ESA has many projects active or in the pipeline and last month initiated an astronauts recruiting program. You have to be from one of the 17 member countries and you can even apply online. David Southwood is the ESA Director of Science. The following conversation with him was recorded at the Space conference. Incidentally thanks to the guys at space.co.uk (Paul and Martyn) and Cy from speed-of-light.co.uk, a video of this conversation is available here.

episode18 [ 16:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As the most energetic photons, gamma rays are rare, difficult to observe, require special telescopes & detectors, and not many of them make it to the surface of the earth anyway. So why is gamma ray astronomy important?

Its not an area of astronomy that amateurs usually dip even their big toe in and something entirely new for me. Talking jointly with a Dr Stella Bradbury and Dr Joachim Rose at the department of Physics was a little scary, but turned out to be extremely informative. They spoke about their work at many observatories, including Veritas Array. I spoke to them a couple of weeks ago and you will hear the reference to the launch of Gamma Ray Large Area Telescope (GLAST). That launch has been delayed to June 3rd.

For realtime GRB alerts see here.

episode17 [ 26:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You can’t think of Darwin without Wallace, Laurel without Hardy. In UK astronomy there is no more an enduring and familiar partnership than Henbest and Couper. Nigel and Heather have been writing, broadcasting, supporting and publicising astronomy for decades.

Their most recent project is a series of daily radio programs for BBC Radio4 called Cosmic Quest and an associated book History of Astronomy which together chart the story of how human societies through history and around the globe have attempted to understand the universe and their place within it.

Nigel Henbest – Science Writer from gurbir on Vimeo.

episode16 [ 31:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Astrobiology is the study of life outside the earth. Paradoxically, it is advanced by understanding how life started here on earth. More about Astrobiology in the UK at the Astrobiology Society’s website.

In the famous Miller Urey experiment to discover the origin of life, the experiment did not result in primitive life but succeeded in creating organic molecules from inorganic constituents. The starting point of the Miller and Urey experiments was the chemical composition of the early Earth’s atmosphere. Could meteorites also have given life a helping hand?

In today’s episode, Dr Terry Kee from the School of Chemistry at the University of Leeds talks about the key processes involving Phosphorus that may have been critical in kick-starting life on earth. The type of Phosphorus required for these processes is not found on the surface of the Earth today but is found in Iron meteorites. In a new collaborative project funded by £500,000 grant University of Leeds will investigate the beginning of life on Earth 3.8 billion years ago.

Sorry about the quality of the audio – the recording was made in Dr Kee’s office which apparently was much noisier than I remember:(

episode15 [ 31:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

After a 7 year journey, Cassini/ Huygens arrived at Saturn in 2004 and Huygens landed on the surface of Titan on January 14th 2005. The only moon within the solar system known to have a substantial atmosphere.

On Monday 3rd of July 1989 it was possible to study the atmosphere of Titan from here on Earth when it occulted a 5.8mag star 28 Sagittarius. Ken Irving from Salford Astronomical Society describes the observation he made and video recording of the unexpected central flash. Available below.

Using data from the onboard Acoustic Sensor Unit, the Planetary Society compressed Huygens two and half hour descent into a 10 second audio clip.

After landing, Huygens continued to transmit data including those incredible pictures of the surface for another 70 minutes until the communication link to Earth – Cassini disappeared over the horizon. It would not come in range again for 40 days by when Huygens’ batteries were dead. There in its dark cold -180C deep freeze it remains. Probably intact. Professor John Zarnecki from the Open University who lead the Surface Science Package team talk a little about the achievements f the Cassini/Huygens mission.

Titan occultation 28 sgr [ 0:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

episode14 [ 27:32 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You may have seen the report from the British UK Space Exploration Working Group suggesting that Britain can get two British Astronauts to the Space station costing less than £75m over 5 years by commercially engaging the Russian Soyuz program rather than the annual £60m cost of going with ESA, or indeed developing a British launch capability.

The Astronomer Royal on the other hand insists that unmanned space research is the way to go. You get a heck of a lot more science for your money

Dave and Leslie Wright from the British Rocketry Oral History program (BROHP) reminisce about the early days when Britain had its own launch capability and the UK Space conference that they host each year.

Want to be a rocket Scientist? Well a new book from a rocket scientist Lucy Rogers may be a good start. Lucy is also the chairman of the Vectis Astronomical Society on the isle of Wight. Their website must be one of the most elaborate. Check it out but .. turn down the volume on your PC first.

Episode13 [ 27:44 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Next year marks the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing in the Sea of Tranquillity on the moon. In today’s episode – assistant director & co-producer Chris Riley talks about the recent film “In the Shadow of the Moon” which recounts that period and someone who was a part of it – astronaut Buzz Aldrin on his interest in Astronomy.

A short written account of his visit including a lunch with him and his wife is here.

Episode12 [ 28:40 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin [ 0:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Its that time of year. Summer time has arrived but not yet.. the summer. Local astronomical societies all over the country are winding down from the previous season and preparing for the next. In today’s episode a little more about two individuals who have been on the speaker list for many astronomical societies. Martin Lunn from Aurora Books and Andy Lound from Odyssey Class Dramatic lectures.

episode11 [ 27:55 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The veteran BBC aerospace correspondent Reg Turnill recalls some of the key moments that he personally covered during the height of the space race. Reg has recorded his eye witness account in his book The Moonlandings.

Chris Lintott one of the authors of Bang! and a co-presenters on Sky at Night far too young to have experienced the Apollo program personally, looks forward to the next manned mission to the moon. You have probably heard of Galaxy Zoo but did you know Galaxy Zoo 2 is in the pipeline too.

Episode10:Astronomy and Space Broadcasters [ 25:46 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

About 20 years after Galileo used the telescope for astronomy, William Crabtree and Jeremiah Horrocks used it to observe a transit of Venus in 1639. Carl Barry and Lilian Fletcher researched documented this unique event. If you missed it a 19mb video here.
Former executive Paul Allen (Allen Telescope Array) from Microsoft and Wayne Rosing (LSST Observatory) from Google are modern examples of private investors in space research.

Emerging from the the industrial revolution in the 19th century Lancashire were two similar individuals who contributed to making large mirrors and large telescopes. James Naysmith and William Lassell.

Standard Podcast [ 34:56 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Flash Video [ 0:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Astronomy Centre: If you head east out of the Lancashire town of Bacup along the A681 towards the Yorkshire town of Todmorden, a couple of miles up a snaking undulating road, nestled amongst the green hills, wild flowers and the sheep you see on your left two large astronomical domes. This is the home of the Astronomy Centre.

Founded by Peter Drew, it is the largest dedicated resource for the amatuer astronomers in the country. A not for profit venture, the astronomy centre has been developed and maintained by a diverse team of skilled, dedicated and industrious volunteers.

Standard Podcast [ 28:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Profile #1: First of occasional episodes profiling individuals who have made a unique contribution in amateur astronomy. In this episode three diverse individuals. Ken Willoughby from West Yorkshire Astronomical Society bringing Apollo astronauts to Pontefract. Astronomy Now’s Mark Armstrong supernova discoverer and Chris Marriott of Skymap.

Episode 7 : Profile #1 [ 27:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Amateur Astronomy – the next generation? In the 1960s and 70s astronomy did not have the competition from computer games, internet and TV. That apparently is what is keeping the young people away from participating in astronomy. Guy Fennimore, secretary of the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), suggests that astronomy is not the only victim and describes the SPA’s “young stargazers initiative”.

Roger Pickard, the president of the British Astronomical Association, recounts the days of committed amateurs who made the telescopes they used and asserts the ongoing strong relationship between amateur and professional astronomers.

This recording took place at Astrofest 2008, apologies for the occasional noisy background.

Standard Podcast [ 18:35 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Studying Astronomy :Peter Thomas from the the University of London Observatory, Stewart Eyres from the University of Central Lancashire and Ulrich Kolb from the Open University discuss some of the options available to amateur astronomers who want a little more structured approach in learning about their hobby.

Standard Podcast [ 22:50 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Astrophotography: Terry Platt from Starlight Express talks about his early days of vidicon and photo multiplier tubes. Terry describes how his passion in astronomy in the 60s resulted in Starlight Express.
About 6 years ago, Steve Chambers came up with a nifty way to rewire a Phillips Toucam webcam so that it could be used by astronomers. Something that cost well under £100 and it could still be used for non Astro purposes as well. Details of the postings were available and still are on the web. It was a mini revolution in low cost astrophotography. Steve has now moved on to bigger and better things with ArtemisCCD

Jonathan Maron in his role as the marketing manager for astronomy cameras at The Imaging Source, describes some of the features of this relatively new source of cameras for astrophotography.

David Ratledge has been observing for decades and is one of the most experienced astrophotographers in the country. He is also the chairman of Bolton Astronomical Society and the editor of Digital Astrophotography – The State of the Art . I spoke to him, via the telephone so excuse the audio quality as he prepared retreat for quiet break .. and no doubt some astrophotraphy.

Episode 4 : Astrophotography [ 34:15 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

David Levy recounts the momentous event of July 1994 and talks about his current preoccupations. Did you know he has his own pod cast called letstalkstars.

David Paul talks about the Campaign for Dark Skies which was established in 1989, what progress has been made and how the amateur astronomy community can still contribute.

Alison Gibbings describes what students do when not attending lectures, no they’re not in the pub. They have got themselves organised take a look at UKSEDS. The website does require an update though.

Episode 3 : Astrofest 2008 Part 2 [ 28:25 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Astrofest is a unique event for amateur astronomers for the UK and Europe. Keith Cooper, Astronomy Now’s editor provides some background to how and when it started.

Nik Szymanek an accomplished astrophotographer shares his experiences of capturing some spectacular images. See some of them on his website.

Dr Allan Chapman talks about the tradition of amateur astronomy. He identifies some of the key figures from the past and speculates on its future. Read more about Allan on Wikipedia.

episode2 [ 28:35 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Amateur Astronomy in the 21st Century: Will Comet 17P Holmes brighten again? Is an asteroid heading for an impact on a Mars? Who was the founder of amateur astronomy? How amateur are amateur astronomers these days?

The very first episode of AstrotalkUK. A discussion between Tony O’Sullivan, Ken Irving, from Salford Astronomical Society and Chris Lord on the state of Amateur Astronomy in the 21st Century. More about Chris on his website at Brayebrook Observatory.
Links
Asteroid WD5 2007 heading for Mars?
MESSENGER’s revealing view of Mercury.

Episode 1 : Amateur Astronomy in the 21st Century [ 33:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download