#Cyprus recently became an Associate Member of @esa.int. What is Cyprus doing in Space? I discussed this with George A Danos, president of the #CyprusSpaceExplorationOrganisation Recorded in Nicosia during @cospar.bsky.social cospar2025.org Listen or download here astrotalkuk.org/cyprusinspace/

Want to learn about the Space Elevator and #Graphene role in helping realise it? Wednesday 19th Nov at 18:30, Adrian Nixon and Rob Whieldon will be speaking at #Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society. Tickets here www.manlitphil.ac.uk/events/the-s...

Yesterday’s launch of #Shenzhou-21 carrying a crew of three to the #Tiangong Space Station took just over three and a half hours. Previous crewed launches took almost double that, six and a half hours. Pictures from @cgtn.bsky.social astrotalkuk.org/shenzhou-21-...

The #UniversityofManchester set up the #NGI & the #GEIC in #Manchester. Prof James Baker outlines some of the Graphene-based products, services, and companies achieving commercial success in #Manchester with #Graphene A short clip below. Full interview here astrotalkuk.org/episode-126-...

Around 15th November 2025, #Voyager will be 1 light-day away from Earth. Recorded at #Cospar 2022 in #Athens. Professor Stamatios Krimigis, in his role on the 1977 Voyager mission, carried this plaque. astrotalkuk.org/episode-99-p... cospar2025.org starts on Monday in #Nicosia, Cyprus.

Recorded during #Cospar2022 in #Athens. A deep dive into the Antikythera mechanism astrotalkuk.org/episode-109-...

#Cospar2025 starts next Monday here in #Nicosia, organised locally by the #Cyprus Space Office and Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation (#CSEO). Is anyone arriving (arrived) early and would like to meet up?

Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown (20 Jan 1920 – 21 Feb 2016) was one of Britain's Best Pilots. Encouraged to choose flying by a German Flying Ace, Ernst Udet An interview from Jan 2011, containing segments not previously published. astrotalkuk.org/episode-125-... @theaviationist.com @theaviation.show

The Breakthrough Foundation has taken on the challenge of addressing some of humanity's most pressing questions. Based on interviews conducted during Breakthrough Discuss in June 2025 in Oxford. First published by (i4is.org) astrotalkuk.org/breakthrough... #BreakthroughPrize #BreakthroughFoundation

An interesting read. One tidbit: the risk of collisions is space does NOT increase linearly with the number of satellites - "The collision rate is the square of the number of satellites, which means that if you have 10 times as many satellites, then there’s going to be 100 times as many collisions."

In 2023, India joined the Artemis Accords, led by the USA. China and Russia never joined, offering instead the International Lunar Research Station. Could India switch sides later this year? An interesting piece from EurAsian Times by Prakash Nanda www.eurasiantimes.com/nuclear-race...

Just under two hours for the launch of @isro @nasa #NISAR mission. Over a decade in the making. Livestream links for NASA and ISRO and much more here www.reddit.com/r/ISRO/comme...

Not just @esa.int astronauts. #Shubhanshushukla from #ISRO took some gajar halwa (a sweet, carrot-based "pudding") to the #ISS last month. Try it next time you go for an indian meal. Here is India's PM @narendra-modi.bsky.social‬ talking about it - (in Hindi) www.youtube.com/shorts/wZE5m...

Yesterday was day one of the UK Space Conference here in the heart of Manchester. All three of the UK's selected astronauts, along with the head of the European Space Agency, Josef Aschbacher, were present. A bit more here astrotalkuk.org/ukspace-conf...

Today on Manchester Science on @allfm.bsky.social, Jocelyn Bell-Burnell on her advocacy for women in science & the discovery of Pulsars. Listen live on allfm.org at 13:00 today or download and listen anytime from astrotalkuk.org/manchesterscience #radioastronomy #pulsars #stem #Breakthroughprize

Thanks for your time yesterday @manchesterhistory.uk Recording available here astrotalkuk.org/manchestersc....

Today on Manchester Science, the story of a young German writer with radical ideas - Friedrich Engels and his 1845 book, The Condition of the Working Class, with urban historian, journalist, and author Dr Dean Kerby. Live at 13:00 allfm.org

Interested in aviation history? Heard of Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown? If so you may be interested in radio program on @allfm.bsky.social at 1pm today or a longer version coming as a podcast episode soon on astrotalkuk.org. Here is a two-minute clip @theaviationist.com @areonautical.bsky.social @

Congratulations @mikelittle.com and @ma.tt . A good time to share this interview from 2010. Neither of you has aged a bit! wordpress.tv/2010/03/09/m...

An image and a story that will echo through the ages..

The Toliman Space Telescope will image the Alpha-Centauri System from Earth orbit in exquisite detail. Dr Karel Valenta, Project Manager describes the current mission status. Live on @allfm.bsky.social at 1 pm today or download astrotalkuk.org/manchestersc.... #breakthroughdiscuss #AlphaCentauri

Soaring over the surface of Titan: #NASA #Dragonfly Mission. Want to know the latest on @nasa’s #Dragonfly mission to hashtag#Saturn’s largest Moon - #Titan? Listen live at 13:00 today on @allfm.bsky.social or download & listen anytime astrotalkuk.org/manchestersc... @astrobiology.bsky.social

The #Breakthrough Discuss conference, held on 23rd and 24th April 2025 in Oxford, overseen by Dr Pete Worden, Chairman of the #breakthroughPrizeFoundation. A former Brigadier. General and astrophysicist in this interview, he talks about @setiinstitute.bsky.social astrotalkuk.org/the-breakthr...

A Brown Dwarf, something between planets and stars was discovered at the Mount Tiede Observatory in 1995. The full story in episode 121 astrotalkuk.org/episode-121-... with Zhang Jerry. A short audio clip below, where Jerry explains that free-floating brown dwarfs could host primitive life.

The #BBC News piece is an interesting read, but it overeggs the story. There is no smoking gun here - no imminent discovery! Check out reports BBC Report= www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Press release= www.cam.ac.uk/stories/stro... The Astrophysical Journal= iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...

What is the difference b/w a planet and a star? Are there objects that end up somewhere between stars and planets? Yes, they are called Brown dwarfs. The first was discovered in 1995 in the Pleiades cluster. Listen at 13:00 today online at allfm.org. listen anytime astrotalkuk.org/manchestersc...

This was one element of the deal that GOI/ISRO cut with the USA/NASA when signing up to the Artemis Accords in 2023. www.etvbharat.com/en/!technolo...

Manchester was home to an influential German community until WW1. One of the few who left his mark was Arthur Schuster. Who was he? Why did he end up in Manchester, and what was his scientific and educational legacy? @allfm.bsky.social @uniofmanchester.bsky.social astrotalkuk.org/manchestersc....

Two men, Rudolf Peierls and Hans Bethe, who, in 1933, lived on Stockton Road in #Didsbury, #Manchester, went on to work in the USA’s secret #Manhattan Project to develop the Atomic Bomb during WW2. Manchester Science today at 13:00 on allfm.org or download from astrotalkuk.org/manchesterscience

This week's lunar eclipse in the UK- it's early in the morning and low in the sky! If you want to see the lunar eclipse this Thursday night - you will need to get up earl and have a really good view of the western horizon. astrotalkuk.org/lunar-eclips...

Prof Robert Poole, historian, discusses Arthur C Clarke’s 1946 seminal paper “The Challenge of the Spaceship”. Live at 1pm today on @allfm.bsky.social 96.9 FM, DAB or live online at allfm.org. Alternatively, download and listen at any time from astrotalkuk.org/manchesterscience

The story of #Jodrell Bank is directly from Bernard Lovell, an oral history from 2007 by www.webofstories.com about his plans for an even larger 400ft telescope in Wales that almost got built and his role during the Cold War. Live on Allfm.org now or download here astrotalkuk.org/manchestersc...

Tomorrow, I will be doing a live #Zoom talk (India in Space: Past, Present and Future) with the Chester County Astronomical Society in Pennsylvania. It will be recorded and available #YouTube. If you are nearby and want to join live, contact [email protected] 19:00 EST(-5 h GMT) 11/2/25 www.ccas.us

Recent events would suggest that the era of "you can't just" is over. It's more than rocket science - it's politics, business and ego I'd love to be (and hope) I am wrong. The heavy lift launch landscape will be very different by the end of this year.

If #spaceship was not available as an alternative #sls would not be cancelled. It is so #sls will be. I wonder who will benefit?

Prof. Geng Xin Xie from Chongqing University designed the experiment to grow plants on the Moon with #CNSA Chang'e $ mission in 2019. My interview with him during the #IAC2024. Listen at 13:00 today online at @allfm.bsky.social on FM, DAB or download anytime lnkd.in/eRW9ckAF

Just after midnight, @isro launched #GSLV-F15 a Navigation Satellite for the #Navic constellation. Live stream (Hindi & English) here www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWzg... Detailed info www.reddit.com/r/ISRO/comme... The flying-saucer-like building is the Mission Control Centre at Sriharikota.

Well, big news. I am planning to move the Space Library to a new home. And I need some help - in 35 years I've never asked for funding, donations or subscriptions for my Space Report, to keep it independent, but now I need to raise some additional funds. www.gofundme.com/f/fund-jonat...

My guest on Manchester Science yesterday was Professor Robert Poole from The University of Central Lancashire. We spoke about his book Earthrise - download the mp3 from here (scroll to the very bottom). astrotalkuk.org/manchesterscience #Apollo, #Earthrise #bluemarble

I venture #sls & #Artemis will also be gone be this summer - if not before www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025...

This is online via Zoom tomorrow. Free but you need to register first.

This may be of interest @shashj.bsky.social @sciguyspace.bsky.social @iranjournal.bsky.social @dutchspace.bsky.social @michaelsheetz.bsky.social @auersusan.bsky.social @sciam.bsky.social @skyrocket.de @clarakm.bsky.social @coreyspowell.bsky.social @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social

Want to know about Iran's space programme? Its history, development, launch sites, politics and current status. Join @bHarveyAuth and West Midland branch of the British Interplanetary Society. Saturday 18th Jan at 14:00GMT. Free on Zoom, but need to register here. www.bis-space.com/event/the-we...

Hermann #Oberth and Theodor von #Karman, Hungary, are two individuals associated with Hungary. Ivan Almar (from @konkolyobs.bsky.social) is another. Inducted into the Hall of Fame during #iac2024 in #Milan. Here is an interview I recorded with him there. astrotalkuk.org/episode-119-...

Apparently, Olaf does this each month. You can see them here armchairastronautics.blogspot.com A terrific contribution. unfortunately he has not yet seen the light and moved from twitter to @bsky.app . Perhaps soon.

The 2nd day of 2025 is as good to reflect on 2024. Want to know how many which countries and companies launched which rockets to where and when? Here are two - free - sources. @planet4589.bsky.social behind planet4589.org and @anatolyzak.bsky.social creator of russianspaceweb.com/2024.html

Morecambe and Wise, The Great Escape and Die Hard have become xmas favourites in the UK. A New Year's Eve tradition in #Germany is to watch a 10 min b&w British comedy called #DinnerForOne Really odd but fun! background - www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w... Watch it here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n7V...

India's #ISRO is preparing its final launch #PSLV-C60/SPADEX Mission in about 3 hours (around 16:30 UTC). A summary and links for countdown, live stream and more here astrotalkuk.org/indian-space...

Maybe of interest @allfm.bsky.social