apollo Archives - Page 2 of 4 AstrotalkUK

Episode 58: Astronauts Joe Engle and Ron Garan

By Gurbir Dated: October 20, 2012 Leave a Comment

The first interview in this episode is with astronaut Joe Engle was recorded during his visit to the UK in 2008. Joe Engle was at the front of the queue to go to the Moon when NASA cut its Apollo program. His place was taken by the geologist Harrison Schmitt on Apollo 17 – the last manned mission to the Moon. In this interview Joe talk about his work before and after Apollo – on the X-15 and Space Shuttle programs.

The second short interview with astronaut Ron Garan was recorded at TedXSalford in January 2012 (unfortunately the recording stopped prematurely). You can see more about the online community offering a “unique orbital perspective of men and women who live and work in Space” online at Fragile Oasis.

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You can see the video of his talk on this link http://youtu.be/lJNbjSLvtpI

Podcast Recommendation

By Gurbir Dated: April 9, 2012 Leave a Comment

Not often I do this .. I really should. There are some amazing podcasts out there. If you have one that you recommend – leave a link in a comment below.

How Apollo Flew to the Moon. W David Woods author of How Apollo Flew to the Moon – a fascinating insight in to the technology that took the first humans to the Moon. David is in conversation with Markus Völter on OmegaTau Podcast. A Germany based podcast and many of the episodes including this one are in English.

Just over two hours long this audio podcast is as captivating as it is long.

David will be speaking in persons at the British Interplanetary Society Northern Meeting in York on May 19th. A fiver for a day-long event.

Download this updated pdf document with all details.

BIS Northern Meeting York 19th May 2012

By Gurbir Dated: February 18, 2012 2 Comments

A British Interplanetary Society meeting with a difference. The venue is in the North of England – the historic city of York. You don’t have to be a BIS member – all with an interest in spaceflight are welcome. A day long event with five speakers on subjects that include Lunar dust, Soviet & German spaceflight, origins of the BIS and technical details behind the phenomenal success of the Apollo progam.

A summary below. Full details in the pdf indicated at the bottom of the page.

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Date: Saturday 19^th May 2011
Venue: Denham Room : Priory Street Centre, York , Y01 6ET
Cost: £5.00 – Full day event – Seating capacity limited to 50
Tickets – Book online here

Confirmed speakers

Deadly Lunar dust (Dr John Cain – UK Space Biomedicine Association). The first extraterrestrial material transported by man from an alien world to Earth was the almost 400kg of lunar rocks and dust. It is mysterious, fascinating but dangerous too. What were the hazards to the Apollo astronauts who brought it here and what has been learned by the scientist in the 40 years of laboratory experiments?

Origins of the BIS in the Northwest (Gurbir Singh – https://astrotalkuk.org). The BIS was founded in the northwest of England in 1933. The key players were Philip Cleater in Liverpool and from 1936 until the end of the war, Eric Burgess in Manchester. How did they realise their ambitious vision of establishing an Interplanetary Society a quarter century before a satellite was actually put into orbit?

How Apollo flew to the Moon (David Woods – How Apollo flew to the Moon). The Apollo program that took two dozen men to the Moon between 1968 and 1972 succeeded because of ingenious technological solutions developed rapidly midst the haste of the cold war. The author of the book, “How Apollo flew to the Moon ” explains the details of one of mankind’s most remarkable technological achievements.

China’s Long March to the Cosmos (Mike Hall – www. aelitauk.com) China was the third country to independently launch humans in to space. That was almost a decade ago. Further success has been swift, including a space walk and a woman in space. Current active programs include lunar orbiter, lunar lander, mission to Mars and a Space station. As we approach the 40th anniversary of the last men on the Moon, why is it that most experts believe that the next one will be Chinese?

German Rocket Development (Martin Dawson – York Astronomical Society). ‘Modern rocketry and spaceflight owe a lot to German rocket development of the 1920’s, ’30’s and ’40’s. Although born as a military weapon, scientists and engineers have turned this sword into a plough share. German rocketry is a story that should not be forgotten, it has highs and it has lows, but is always fascinating.

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Download this pdf for all the details. This document is version 02. I will keep it updated from time to time with a final (version 1.0) by end of April.

Gagarin Statue Campaign – Open Letter

By Gurbir Dated: November 15, 2011 9 Comments

The campaign to bring the statue of Yuri Gagarin continues to attract support and now has almost 400 supporters who have signed the petition. Over the last few weeks two dozen individuals, many of whom you will recognise, have added their significant weight to the campaign and signed the open letter below.

The names include Sir Patrick Moore from Sky at Night, Professor Andre Geim, a Nobel Prize winning Physicist from Manchester University, and a guy who went to the Moon – astronaut Al Worden, the Command Module Pilot on Apollo 15. In the coming weeks, I expect to add to the list of hyperlinked names below.

If you have not yet signed the on-line petition, you can do it here.

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An open letter to those charged with making the decision on where the Statue of Yuri Gagarin will be relocated in 2012

To mark the 50th anniversary the first human spaceflight, a statue of Yuri Gagarin was unveiled by Gagarin’s daughter Elena in London on 14^th July 2011, but planning restrictions require that it is relocated by July 2012. The most appropriate new destination is Manchester.

Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union, traveling higher and faster than any human before him, made the world’s first human spaceflight on 12^th April 1961. Three months later, 12^th July, during a short but heartfelt ceremony in a congested boardroom of a union office in Manchester, Gagarin was made the very first honorary member of the Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers.

Prior to joining the Soviet Air Force Gagarin had successfully completed his training in foundry work. He celebrated his working class roots by accepting the invitation from the union and visited a foundry in Trafford Park, the world’s first and largest industrial estate. Despite the driving rain, the people of Manchester lined his route to wave and welcome him. Standing in his open top Bentley, soaked, he waved back.

This diminutive young spaceman was the first human to experience the alien sensation of weightlessness whilst circling the Earth at five mile a second. It was an extremely hazardous adventure from which he himself did not think he would return safely. But he did, and overnight became the twentieth century’s first global superstar. But he was a Russian, a Communist and potentially the enemy in the heart of Europe in the midst of the Cold War. In every speech, accompanied by his tenacious but sincere smile, he repeated his appeal for peace, collaboration and friendship. He brought fresh hope and optimism to a population recovering from two World Wars, who feared the horror of another.

Recalling his visit to a foundry in Manchester several months after his visit to the city, Gagarin said “the firm handshakes of my fellow workers in the moulding shop were dearer to me than many awards”. I think if Gagarin could choose, he would prefer the statue to be re-sited midst the working class traditions and people of Manchester.

Gurbir Singh 14/11/2011 (astrotalkuk.org)

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Below are some of the signatories who support the campaign for the statue to be relocated in Manchester in 2012.

Sir Patrick Moore – Presenter of Sky at Night and Author

Al Worden – Apollo 15 Command Module Pilot

Professor Andre Geim – Physicist (Nobel Prize for Physics 2010)

Reg Turnill – Former BBC Journalist

Dr Chris Riley – Writer and Film Maker

Piers Bizony – Author

Professor Jim Al-Khalili – Physicist, Broadcaster & Author

Dr Heather Couper – Astronomer, TV Presenter and Author

Nigel Henbest – Consultant, TV Producer and Author