Talks
In addition to our glorious comrade GoH Ken MacLeod and fraternal Special Guest Sydney Jordan, the Politburo is pleased to announce that several members of the proletariat have agreed to address the loyal masses at Satellite 1. Presentations include:
50 years of Space Exploration (Robert Law)
Comrade Robert will recount the glorious achievements made by the Soviet Union, together with the contributions of less socially enlightened nations, over the past 50 years. His talk will span Sputnik 1, Yuri Gagarin, Vostok and Mercury, the Gemini Missions, the race to the Moon, the Space Shuttle, Mir and International Space Station.
Children from the Sky (Duncan Lunan)
Comrade Duncan discusses the strange case of the 12th century Green Children of Woolpit. He will summarise the evidence for the existence of these children and offer speculations about their origins, which, if true, suggest that the X-Files was set in entirely the wrong century!
The Gate of Heaven – Space without Rockets! (Andy Nimmo)
American companies are planning to build the first space elevator by 2030. Comrade Andy will describe the technology behind space elevators and explain how their combination with rockets taxis and orbiting space hotels could bring space tourism to the masses.
Huygens and Me - the Engineer’s Perspective (Phil Wellings)
Comrade Phil worked on the Huygens parachute system from just after contract award until hardware delivery. He will give a thoroughly unofficial talk on what it's like to deal with the unglamorous side of space exploration.
The Search for Space (Ed Buckley)
Comrade Ed will deliver an illustrated talk on 20th century comics. Defying the evil known as "Microsoft" (surely a capitalist invention?) he will use only a powerful, antique slide projector, fabricated entirely from redundant tanks and laser targeting systems. Will his eyebrows survive?