Forum for residents of St Georges Park and Long Leys Road Lincoln

[john shipton]

For those interested space travel and exploying space...


The last aviation lecture for 2009 at the Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre, near Lincoln, is an intriguing talk by Richard Creasey who now lives in Rutland since retiring and was the former head of the Control and Data Systems Division of the European Space Agency.

Before joining the ESA, he spent several years in the electronics industry, working for Ferranti in Edinburg and Dundee, Scotland, on lasers and radar electronics

After this, he moved to Noordwijk in the Netherlands to work for the European Space Agency (ESA) at their technical centre ESTEC.

The Eurpoean Space Agency is Europe's gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. ESA's purpose is to deal with space research and technology and to bring about co-operation among European countries for peaceful objectives.

During his time there, Richard has been involved with many of the ESA Space missions, ranging from the small scientific spacecraft HEOS A2 , launched in 1975, through to the European elements of the International Space Station, including the ATV launched in 2008 and has participated in launches at French Guiana, the USA and Kazakstan. Since 1986 he was head of the Control and Data Systems Division of ESA , which was responsible for the development of the spacecraft computers and control systems used on most ESA spacecraft. He also represented ESA in setting up , with NASA and other space agencies , the international space communications standards, used by spacecraft to communicate with receiving and transmitting stations on earth.

The topic for his talk will be European Spacecraft and their Missions and is being held on Wednseday, 25th November, beginning at 7.30pm, in the WW2 gymnasium.

Admission is £4.00 including refreshments for visitors and non members. It is free for Friends of Metheringham Airfield and of 106 Squadron.

For further details contact 01526 378604 or 01526 378270.

John Shipton,

Press Officer,

Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre, Lincoln.