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I grew up in the era of the Apollo missions and was enthusiastic enough to build model Saturn V and Lunar Lander Airfix kits. While this fanaticism faded as I grew up I still follow some of the various space exploration stories and can appreciate that the UK has quite a prospering, if under-publicised, space engineering and research industry.
0800 Lichfield, it appears, has the luxury of two stations for this modestly- sized city. It’s a much brighter day today so, donning my sun hat per doctors orders in lieu of a cycle helmet, I make my way to the somewhat ‘Eastern-Bloc-looking’ Lichfield Trent Valley station about a mile from the city centre where most of my fellow travellers waiting on the platform are suited businessmen. Change at Nuneaton’s modern, airy station onward to Leicester and the National Space Centre.
Leicester is one of the most multicultural cities in the UK and this is apparent just cycling through the centre. For most of the way from the station to the Space Centre there is a cycle route by the river through a park.
Leicester is one of the most multicultural cities in the UK and this is apparent just cycling through the centre. For most of the way from the station to the Space Centre there is a cycle route by the river through a park.
1255 Arrive at the National Space Centre which I have to admit is very well done. The entrance doors look like airlocks and the toilets have a space-age feel – all stainless steel and girders. You are not even safe in the cafe where one of the tables is located underneath a rocket ‘motor’ which 'ignites' from time to time with appropriate smoke, light and sound effects while you drink your coffee! The bulk of the Centre, though, is a ‘fun’ exhibit arena with a bit of education thrown in so I enter into the spirit of it...
1346... I‘ve just destroyed Leicester with a medium-sized meteorite....
1500 ... fail my astronaut training because I incorrectly input my weight as 6kg and I’m told off for forgetting the tools when I pack my rocket!
Trivia time:
· An 11 year old girl suggested ‘Pluto’ as the name of the planet after the god of the underworld who could make himself invisible. The shortened name ‘PL’ is also the initials of the planet’s discoverer Percival Lovell.
· Voyager 1 has travelled 12 billion miles: the power of its signal reaching earth is now 20 billion times weaker than a watch battery and it’s still sending data
1530 Round off my visit with a sound and light show ‘We Are Astronomers’ narrated by David Tennant in one of those 360 degree cinema dome theatres. Lots of use of computer graphics, the most memorable being a brilliant segue from a sequence inside the Large Hadron Collider to the Northern Lights. My only regret is that I did not bring the boys here when they were younger, they would have loved it.
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