AstrotalkUK

Not for profit website/blog on astronomy, space and my writing

Yuri Gagarin in London and Manchester – Errata

By Leave a Comment

This book was published over a year ago.  I thought it would be useful to share with you some of the corrections and comments I have received. Naturally, if you are aware of others please drop me a line.

* * *

P7:  Korloev died in 1966 not in 1967 as stated  on p17. Thanks Dave Shayler

P41:  “On his own visit to Cuba in 1965, Leonov met Hemingway and personally told him that this novel had been a favourite of Gagarin’s”  This is Leonov’s account from his jointly authored book  Scott, D. & A. Leonov: Two Sides of the Moon, 2004, p39. But it cannot be so – Hemingway died in 1961. Thanks Michael Cassutt

P85: The picture of the cenotaph in Manchester is not the cenotaph in Manchester but he one in London.  Apparently the picture form 1961 had been erroneously labeled back then. It has since been corrected by Ria Novosti.  Thanks Francis French (see post from Facebook replicated below)

P101:  I imply Dr Alexander Martynov is a cosmonaut. That is not so. He is a space scientist and frequently tours alongside other cosmonauts. Thanks Francis French

* * *

Tale of two cenotaphs  Originally posted on Facebook 26th September 2012

During his day trip to Manchester, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin stopped by to lay a wreath at the cenotaph in St Peters Square which just a couple of hundred meters from the Town Hall, his final stop in Manchester. Or that is what I thought and said so on page 85 in my book “Yuri Gagarin in London and Manchester”.

During my research all my conversations with Mancunians who saw or met Gagarin in 1961 – no one could recall his stop at the cenotaph. But that did not matter, I had a photo from Rainovosti clearly capturing that moment in a labelled and dated picture.

During his recent trip “back home” to Manchester, Francis French stopped by at the cenotaph at St Peters Square. He compared the actual cenotaph with that in the picture and concluded that the one depicted in the picture was not the cenotaph in Manchester.

As I describe on page 116, in between his meeting with the Prime Minister and visiting the air ministry on Whitehall, Gagarin stopped by the cenotaph which was very much on his route. I have looked at images of the cenotaph in London and it appears that the one depicted in the picture (and my book) is the cenotaph in London.

I contacted Rianovosti and they have already amended the description http://visualrian.ru/en/site/gallery/#899166. I will do likewise in the ebook version of my book. Thanks to Francis “Sherlock” French, the story of Gagarin’s visit to the UK is now a little more accurate.

 

Gagarin Statue – Update

By 1 Comment

Prime Meridian

Unfortunately, it is not coming to Manchester but going to the Royal Observatory in London instead.  More Details in the fifth and final newsletter #5 – which I have duplicated below.

* * *

Bring Gagarin statue to Manchester. Campaign update #5: 6th October 2012

Sadly, I have to report that the Gagarin statue will NOT be coming to Manchester.

As per my tweet on 3rd October 2012, the British Council announced through their press release that the new home of the Gagarin statue will be the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

Can I simply but sincerely thank all of you who supported this campaign in many ways including writing letters, distributing leaflets, signing the petition and adding your name to the open letter. The press release indicates that the move to the new location is subject to planning permission. Unless there is any additional news, this campaign is now formally closed.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich is a remarkably appropriate place to have been selected. It is the home of the Prime Meridian, the special place where you can simultaneously place one foot in the Western hemisphere and the other in the Eastern.  As a central London attraction it is a popular stop for tourists from all over the world, hosts visits from schools and even has a planetarium.

The statue will be erected outdoors and be well maintained. This open access will allow thousands of people every year to visit it without having to pay.  This was the primary driver for the British Council, Roscosmos and one which I share.

The statue in its new location will be unveiled on his birthday 9th March 2013. If he was still with us Yuri Gagarin would have been only 79.

 

Gagarin Statue – Update 14 July 2012

By 3 Comments

To mark the 50th anniversary of his visit to Britain, a statue  of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was installed outside the offices of the British Council near Trafalgar Square in London, one year ago today. The full story was covered in episode 47.  At the time the British Council announced that the statue had planning permission restriction and had to be removed to another location after twelve months.

Twelve months on it is still there!

Details of what actually transpired is not clear. This is what I do know.  In May the Russian embassy stated that they are were seeking an extension for the statue to remain in its current location whilst they sought another. The British Council have indicated that Roscosmos are visiting London to discuss the future of the statue on 16th July – two days from now. So a decision may be imminent. I will issue the next newsletter once once an announcement is made.

How is the campaign going to bring the statue to Manchester? No substantial change. The local council is willing to engage, assist and possibly offer suggestions for a city centre site but cannot offer financial assistance. There are now 704 individuals who support the campaign via the online petition. Authors Brian Harvey and Bert Vis along with Tony Lloyd MP have now joined Sir Patrick Moore and Apollo 15 astronaut  AL Worden who have all signed the open letter.

You can add your name to the petition here. More details in a newsletter – as soon as an announcement is made.

BIS Northern Meeting York 19th May 2012

By 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.

* * *

Date: Saturday 19th 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.

* * *

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.