I have known about this podcast for a long while, but there has always been 'something else to do' and I seem to simply have never got round to sitting down and forcing my mind to shut off to all the million and one other jobs and things I should be doing....until this morning! I therefore chose to listen to the team's latest, and last in their current series, 'Brits In Space' in which the two podcast hosts, Professor Brian Cox and Robin Ince were joined by comedian Mark Steel, and two of the UK's foremost astronauts, Tim Peake and Helen Sharman.
Advertised as a comedy podcast, I found this particular episode to be far more educational and serious in tone than I had expected. However that was a pleasant surprise and I found myself learning much from this one hour recorded chat. The premise of the episode was to discuss the possibility of mankind ever settling on Mars, but the astronauts and hosts covered much more than that in a very easy and accessible way, speaking and explaining in such a way that even the least informed person (ie myself) on space travel and the vagaries of it, could keep up and not only be educated but entertained as well. A winning formula!
Obviously Mark Steel had been asked along in order to make sure there was some comedy injected into the proceedings, but to be honest, it wouldn't have mattered either way, since Ince was more than well-equipped at the comedy one-liners, and Steel actually had a few very interesting ideas to put forward.
Peake and Sharman came to being astronauts very differently and indeed their experiences up in space were somewhat different too. One being stationed on the MIR ["the worst shed that's ever been built". "a badly kitted-out camping trip!"] and the other on the ISS [in two sections... the Russian sector which is like MIR, and the US sector which is plush, metal, modern and spacious!] and their anecdotes and experiences made for enthralling listening. We'll not mention the frozen urine passing by outside the module, or the smuggling into space of a certain gorilla costume.......
Coming back to the hard data for a moment, and they said that the next step for space exploratioon is to set up a space station in permanent orbit around the moon and send more missions both human and robotic to the moon's surface, with the second step, a possible permanent base on the moon. Once this has been established the space agencies can look at training people for longer and more extended times in space, as your body has many unexpected and perhaps detremental reactions/ physical changes once in space. It is these days, much more about choosing the people with the correct mental attitude towards lengthy times in space, and not as much about - although it is still very important - the correct physique. It would be an 8 month journey to Mars - with nothing and no-one to greet you once you arrived!
It was also stated that the research conducted on space exploration has been hugely contributory to understanding our own planet more, with as much as 50% of all climate change data coming from this research. Things have changed since the Cold War and the original space race, where basically it was every country for themselves. Nowadays, the vast majority of the world's nations are working together in co-operation for the overall good of humanity in general, and that can only be a positive thing.
However, I can honestly say that space travel is definitely not for me! What with the body changes, the discomfort, the fact that everything is noisier in space, and very bumpy and dangerous re-entries... I'll happily keep my feet on terra firma!
The podcast finished in humorous vein as the team read out some of the audience's suggestions for experiments which should or could be conducted in space. It was a most infornmative and well-produced listen, and I will certainly try and make more time in future for more episodes in their next series in the new year. I suggest you all should do the same!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 18/11/19
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