Gagarin & Columbia

On this date, a man was first launched into space.

On this date, the first true spaceship, Columbia, the first Space Shuttle was launched for the first time.

And I was there, along with a million other hairless, tailless apes.

And I watched in awe as Columbia climbed up from Earth on a pillar of white smoke 50 nautical miles high.

And even from my vantage point on the Banana River, 13 miles distant from Pad 39A, the experience was incredibly tactile - the delayed shock wave of ignition shook my gut.

In celebration of these anniversaries I present my own humble involvement in the exploration of space; I was just one of a host of dedicated scientists, engineers, technicians and managers supporting the tri-national scientific programme to launch and operate the X-ray observatory satellite Röntgen Satellit - ROSAT.