The British Interplanetary Society

[editor]

Anyone ever been to their talks? I'm going this week and can't work out if I'm going to encounter a load of cardigan-wearing, Star Trek geeks and blokes with Worf forehards or real science-type people.

 

[Pickman's model]

why would we want to ruin the surprise?

and why can't they be both?

 

[editor]

why would we want to ruin the surprise?

and why can't they be both?

I hope they're all wearing Worf foreheads. I hope the lecture is in Klingon too. With people making the noise of the Star Trek doors as they go in.

 

[Pickman's model]

I hope they're all wearing Worf foreheads. I hope the lecture is in Klingon too. With people making the noise of the Star Trek doors as they go in.

they seem to be quite a serious lot, though, looking at their pages on the internet

 

[fucthest8]

Worf forehards

I suspect that might be the actual term for it

 

[2hats]

Whilst there might be a surfeit of cardigans in the audience, the BIS has been around promoting space for the best part of the last century. Many members are fairly serious professionals.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

They are pretty good from my limited experience with them. Happy to send a great and good humoured speaker to a bonkers conference I helped to organise for the Association of Autonomous Astronauts.

 

[Santino]

Bet they don't have a single member from another planet.

 

[Idaho]

I bet most of them are on another planet.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I think my dad (long term SF reader and also a scientist) might have been a member - he's certainly mentioned them. My impression was also of both cardigans and real science.

Tbh we need more people doing science in cardigans and tweed, ideally with pipes and serious expressions as they say "but with all due respect Professor, don't you realise what this experiment could do to the very fabric of the universe?" None of this scruffy modern lot in t-shirts, appearing on TV to say how astrophysics is brilliant.

 

[Pickman's model]

I bet most of them are on another planet.

 

[Pickman's model]

I think my dad (long term SF reader and also a scientist) might have been a member - he's certainly mentioned them. My impression was also of both cardigans and real science.

Tbh we need more people doing science in cardigans and tweed, ideally with pipes and serious expressions as they say "but with all due respect Professor, don't you realise what this experiment could do to the very fabric of the universe?" None of this scruffy modern lot in t-shirts, appearing on TV to say how astrophysics is brilliant.

 

[editor]

I think my dad (long term SF reader and also a scientist) might have been a member - he's certainly mentioned them. My impression was also of both cardigans and real science.

Tbh we need more people doing science in cardigans and tweed, ideally with pipes and serious expressions as they say "but with all due respect Professor, don't you realise what this experiment could do to the very fabric of the universe?" None of this scruffy modern lot in t-shirts, appearing on TV to say how astrophysics is brilliant.

I shall report back from my experience later this week and include a full sartorial analysis.

 

[Crispy]

Anyone ever been to their talks? I'm going this week and can't work out if I'm going to encounter a load of cardigan-wearing, Star Trek geeks and blokes with Worf forehards or real science-type people.

The two categories are not particularly exclusive

 

[ferrelhadley]

Anyone ever been to their talks? I'm going this week and can't work out if I'm going to encounter a load of cardigan-wearing, Star Trek geeks and blokes with Worf forehards or real science-type people.

Used to be very serious puts together paper projects to like Daedalus, before NASA got off the ground, groups like these were the main drivers for promoting human space flight.

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

Their wiki article has a couple of odd bits:

[the office] is situated on South Lambeth Road (A203) near Vauxhall station, and not far from the Secret Intelligence Service building.

and

However early in 1936, the Society discovered that this ambition was thwarted by the Explosives Act of 1875, which prevented any private testing of liquid-fuel rockets in the United Kingdom.

Damn the Explosives Act of 1875 - we could have been first to the moon!

I went to a couple of talks given by members of the BIS when I was a student in the late 80s. I think there's still a really high quotient of cardies, sideburns, real ale and pipe among the membership, but they'd be the first volunteers for a one-way trip to Mars.

 

[tim]

Bet they don't have a single member from another planet.

I don'tsee why not, as lng as they come from a British planet.

 

[editor]

The talk was fantastic - really enjoyable. Will post more tomorrow.

 

[ferrelhadley]

Tbh we need more people doing science in cardigans and tweed, ideally with pipes and serious expressions as they say "but with all due respect Professor, don't you realise what this experiment could do to the very fabric of the universe?" None of this scruffy modern lot in t-shirts, appearing on TV to say how astrophysics is brilliant.

Daily Mail for this pish.

 

[Bernie Gunther]

Heh glad you enjoyed it. I was a member from my teens into my early 20's.

 

[editor]

Here's my photo report. I'm definitely going back.

http://www.urban75.org/blog/a-trip-...ciety-to-learn-about-mars-with-abigail-hutty/

 

[Crispy]

Not sure if you knew already, but in the bit about the landing sites, "Mawrth" is Welsh for Mars

 

[frogwoman]

when are they doing their next talk?

 

[editor]

when are they doing their next talk?

Their site appears to be painfully slow at the moment but you can view upcoming events here: http://www.bis-space.com/whats-on

I'm really tempted by this one: http://www.bis-space.com/2014/08/01/13411/rosetta-a-sleeping-beauty

 

[hot air baboon]

 

[frogwoman]

imagine if they'd succeeded.