50 years of space science at Leicester

SL_1306

Kindly contributed by Barry Giles

Skylark_SL-1304

Kindly contributed by Barry Giles

Here is a place-holder for text on Ariel-VI.

1971 The most precise location of a cosmic X-ray source (still a record to-day) is obtained by a Leicester University team who observed the distant star from a Skylark rocket above Woomera, just at the moment the source was eclipsed by the Moon. The operation required the launch to be timed to a few seconds. 

1972 University equipment goes into orbit on board NASA’s Copernicus (Aug) satellite, the first orbiting spacecraft designed to study cosmic X-ray sources.

1973 Geography Dept. reading room ceiling collapses (12 June), followed by school hall in Camden a day later. Pre-streesed concrete problem requires re-structuring of Physics Building over following year.
Professor Stewardson dies (August).

1974 Leicester University’s most ambitious space project is launched from (15 Oct) a former oil platform off the coast of Kenya. The launch site allows the Ariel 5 satellite to operate from an orbit over the equator, an ideal location for viewing the whole sky.

1975 An international conference at Stamford Hall in Oadby features major (Aug) discoveries from the Ariel 5 satellite. Daily observations received at the University add to the excitement. In a remarkable coincidence, Ariel 5 discovers a new X-ray source which grows brighter as the conference proceeds, reaching a level never before seen.

(That X-ray source, known as ‘A0620 minus zero’, was for a few weeks the brightest X-ray source ever seen. It was subsequently identified with a burst of star material being swallowed by a black hole)

1978 The 62nd Skylark rocket carrying Leicester-built equipment is launched from Woomera bringing to an end a pioneering phase in the British space research programme.

1979 Ariel 6 is launched from Wallops Island in Virginia, becoming the last British space science satellite of the century. On board is equipment from several UK university teams, including Leicester.

Article in LM refers to damage to university research and teaching by funding cuts of new Conservative government. Recent XRA Group feature on Horizon programme referenced