Speaker profile

Summary

If your audience is interested in the science and history of spaceflight, exploration and discovery, Brian may be the very chap you are looking for. He has also been asked back by many astronomy clubs !.

Full biography

I have been fortunate to live in the time of human space and the deep exploration of the solar system. From building plastic kits of the Apollo programme as a child to marvelling at the huge advances in re-usable rocketry, I have tried to understand the science and engineering required to extend the reach of human curiosity. I found that I have a knack for explaining concepts in ways that bring understanding to mixed audiences. I try to weave in bizarre facts and oddities along the way which will entertain the audience, while explaining how and why rockets operate as they do. For example, Nasa's Artemis mission to the moon is best demonstrated using my childhood school globe, a length of parachute cord and a chocolate orange. I aim to show you things that you never knew existed, be it the cold war secrets behind the Space Shuttle or how to land robotically on the moon before computers had been shrunk to fit on a spacecraft.

My most recent talk was on how two utter incompetents managed to beat the odds and photograph the 2026 Spanish Eclipse. "Carry On Observing" may one day be turned into a film. Brad Pitt will of course play my role.

Affiliations