Odyssey 21 November 2012
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OdyIsssue 2s2, Deceembey r 2012 Image courtesy of NASA/JPL The e-Magazine of the British Interplanetary Society From Super Constellations , Dakotas and In This Issue l Super Constellations, Dakotas, and Comets to HOTOL and SKYLON Comets to HOTOL and SKYLON Titans of the BIS: Ken Gatland The Society’s new President, Alistair Scott, programme was of course The Sky at Night . I l talks to Odyssey about the path that subsequently discovered that the 6 inch l Imagining Outer Space led him to join the BIS, and his vision for telescope was his too, left by him when in l The Feedback Loop the future. 1955 or 56 he handed over his position as l Crafting the Future Why did I join the British Interplanetary Head of Science to my House Master, and Society ? I’ve never been asked that before. started working with the BBC. l The Odyssey Essay File The simple answer would be, because it was I wasn’t so turned on by astronomy and l Echoes from the Future there when I needed it. space at that point. I was far more l Dates for Your Diary So where do I start? I suppose I should go interested in the aircraft - the Super right back to when I was seven. I and my Constellations , Dakotas , Comets and later the brother were sent back from Bangkok to Boeing 707 s -that flew me to and from the boarding school in Kent. Far East each summer holiday. I didn’t really In Next Month’s Issue want to fly them - I wanted to know how l Leading SF author David Brin steps they worked and why they flew! So after a into the Virtual Interview Chair further 5 years at school, this time at my father’s old school in Scotland, I applied to l John Silvester reviews 2132 , Kim join the Undergraduate Apprentice Scheme Stanley Robinson’s latest epic novel at Hawker Siddeley Aviation , Hatfield, and l And we continue to remember author, the Aeronautical Engineering course at spaceflight innovator and past BIS Bristol University. My twin did the same, President, Ken Gatland but at BAC Weybridge and Southampton University. However he ended up, like me, at Bristol. Curiosity Corner So, from 1967, aircraft became my life and my career, at least for the first eleven years with Hawker Siddeley and British Aerospace , first on the design and wind tunnel testing of the Airbus wing; then in sales engineering on the HS146 airliner and the Hitch a ride to the edge of the HS125 business jet, travelling mainly in solar system: Europe and Africa. In 1978, my ‘hobby’ or part-time career as an artillery officer in the http://tinyurl.com/8lk7byh The author (on right) with his brother and parents at Kuala Lumpur Airport about to board the BOAC Comet 4 in the background Editor: Mark Stewart (September 1960). Layout and Design: Adrian Mann As expected it took us a good few weeks to (www.bisbos.com ) settle in; but I do remember fairly early on sitting through some fascinating talks by a Production Quality: Mel Hacker, David A. Hardy, Martin Postranecky and John Silvester very entertaining young astronomer and being shown how to use a 6 inch reflector Distribution and web support: telescope by my House Master. It was quite Ralph Timberlake, Andrew Vaudin and a few years later, when I had finally reached Ben Jones the senior dormitory and been allowed to Odyssey is published every month by the stay up late once a month to watch a certain The author (the tall one with the hair) and the BIS and is circulated by email. Feedback TV programme, that I made the connection. sales team about to set off on a 6-week trip on the e-Magazine is welcome, including The year was 1957/8, the entertaining round Africa in the HS126-600 in the back - suggestions for future articles, via astronomer was Patrick Moore and the TV ground. (Hatfield, January 1976). [email protected] Odyssey: The e-Magazine of the British Interplanetary Society: December 2012 www.bis-space.com 1 When, in 1984, I finished my stint as PA, the Chief Executive sent me into space, over the road in Stevenage to the Space and Communications Division. There I was sent back to university for a week on a spacecraft engineering course to be re-educated before being posted back out to the Far East and Australasia to sell satellites. But it wasn’t until I returned from my travels to take up a PR role that I realised that I needed a better network. I needed to find an organisation that looked at The author ‘sells‘ the early HOTOL concept to all aspects of space: from advanced launch Dr Habibie, Minister for Research and Develop - concepts to exploring the universe, and the ment and later President of Indonesia use of space as a highly effective ‘tool’ for (Jakarta, February 1987). everything from global communications and Territorial Army took me up the road to navigation to weather forecasting and British Aerospace Dynamics in Stevenage to resource monitoring. sell missile systems around the world. Of I feel that the British Interplanetary Society course, as the best place for networking with does all this for me. Its motto From like-minded aerospace professionals, I had Imagination to Reality says it all. The Society joined the Royal Aeronautical Society . has a tremendous mix of professionals, The author(on right) meets his inspiration, Sir It was only in 1983 when I was PA to the academics and amateur enthusiasts. Some are Patrick Moore, the very first Editor of Space - Chief Executive of the Dynamics Group of closer to the imagination end of the scale flight Magazine (Selsey, August 2011). British Aerospace that I quickly had to find where, like Arthur C. Clarke (one of its earliest take a lead role. I regard it as the ‘think-tank’ of out what space was all about and what a members and twice President) they are the space business, free of most of the significant role the UK space industry was surfing the boundary between science fiction restrictions of politics, finance and sometimes playing. As the press releases started to and science fact; others like member Alan even basic engineering. Over the next few trickle across my desk, I had to read up on Bond , CEO of Reaction Engines and Bob months I look forward to seeing the BIS take a each project and brief the boss to try to Parkinson (the most recent past President) are leading role again, in promoting keep him one step ahead of the press. We almost in the realms of reality with vehicles interplanetary travel with huge programmes didn’t always succeed. On projects like the like HOTOL and now SKYLON . like the Icarus starship and the smallest of Polar Platform , which later became Envisat , We live in exciting times and I recognise that picosats like Sprite . I feel that the BIS must win and I ntelsat VI , I managed to keep up, but on the BIS has such a wide range of interests that back the loyalty of its members and the HOTOL we all failed miserably when Frank it cannot be in front of the field in all areas, but respect of its peers in the space business and Miles announced it prematurely on ITN . there are key areas where it can, and should, now is the time. The Titans of the BIS - Remembering Ken Gatland “Re Ken Gatland, I thought his books were much the best available on spaceflight during the golden years of Apollo. But unfortunately it wasn't until he died that I realised that the Ken I used to sit near in church at Ewell each Sunday was the great man himself. I have several of his books including his personal copies of the books that he wrote. I don't think that there's anything that the BIS library doesn't already have a copy of though.” Jeff Cousins CMS-1 Infrastructure Systems Software Engineer, BAE Systems Maritime - Naval Ships, New Malden, Surrey Odyssey would like to hear from other members of the BIS who knew Ken. Any reminiscences of Ken, who was President of the Society from 1973-1976, would be welcome. Ken was editor of Spaceflight magazine for twenty two years, and the author of many memorable books on space exploration including Manned Spacecraft , Missiles and Rockets , and The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Space Technology . Please send any recollections to the Editor. Woodrow Wyatt (left) and Ken discuss the Migrant Moon-probe on the BBC’s Panorama in January 1959. (Image courtesy of the BIS archives). Odyssey: The e-Magazine of the British Interplanetary Society: December 2012 www.bis-space.com 2 Imagining Outer Space The Feedback Loop “Hi Mark, IMAGINING OUTER SPACE- European between 1945 and 1970, and the Just wanted to say that the ‘silent Astroculture in the Twentieth Century: contributions to this volume offer a stake in majority’ are listening and appreciate Edited by Alexander C. T. Scott this field. The book attempts to define your efforts. I’m probably one of the (Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 9780230231726) astroculture, introduce a West-European ‘silent majority’ so if you are receiving perspective to space, and explore the little response, do not worry, it’s a good science/fiction complex. Altogether there are sign! If you are receiving a lot of seventeen articles on outer space with very response, please ignore this email! varied themes under the headings I know from my own experience in trying “narrating,” “projecting,” “visualizing,” to promote various things locally, that a “encountering,” and “inscribing.” lack of any response or comment from There are two references to the BIS.