Highland Branch lecture:

This presentation will cover the active research within the Advanced Space Concepts Laboratory of the University of Strathclyde and present a new, fresh vision of space exploitation and exploration for the next 50-100 years.

Speaker: Dr. Malcolm Macdonald
Malcolm Macdonald is the Associate Director of the Advanced Space Concepts Laboratory at the University of Strathclyde. He is widely acknowledged as an expert in the development and application of advanced space mission systems, challenging conventional ideas to enable radical change in the near term. It is widely recognised that his work in the innovation, development and application of solar sail technology has critically defined the recent global advances within this field.

Macdonald has a diverse research track-record, from advanced astrodynamics to the study of technology requirements for a range of future deep-space science missions ahead of the recent ESA Cosmic Vision call. His track-record further extends across swarm engineering, the development of nano-spacecraft and Unmanned Autonomous Systems. He also worked as a senior member of technical staff at SciSys Ltd., working on several projects throughout the entire life cycle, including as a technical lead on the LISA-Pathfinder attitude control software. He also lead a range of research and technology projects across modelling and simulation, formation flying, planetary entry, descent and landing systems, mission analysis and unmanned autonomous systems.

Macdonald’s work is reported in over 20 peer reviewed international journal papers, including invited reviews (in, for example, Journal Guidance, Control and Dynamics) and prize winning publications, such as the Royal Aeronautical Society Ackroyd Stuart Propulsion Prize (2003). His work has also been reported at almost 30 international conferences, including invited reviews and keynote addresses. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of a major new international handbook of space technology due for publication in 2012.

Recent research has been funded by a diverse range of international partners including Research Councils (EPSRC, STFC, NERC), the European Space Agency and industry. He is an Associate Editor of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronaut.

Highland Branch lecture:

We live in exciting times, when we can tell the story of the evolution of our universe from when it was a fraction of a second old until the present day and even look into the future. In this richly illustrated lecture, Robin will cover new discoveries inour solar system, how stars are born and die, explain the importance of dark matter and vacuum energy and show the deepest image ever obtained of our universe.

Speakers:

Dr Robin Catchpole
Robin has recently retired as Senior Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, currently works at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, and has been an astronomer all his life. He has authored and co-authored over 100 research papers and used a number of telescopes around the world including the Hubble Space Telescope. His research interests include the composition of stars, exploding stars, the structure of our Galaxy and galaxies with black holes at their centres. He has given many lectures and radio and TV interviews.

The lecture takes the story of the A380 through from its inception to its Entry into Service, a period of nearly 20 years! The market traffic outlook and the airline requirements that led to the A380 project are described, moving through details of the aircraft definition and key issues for such a large aircraft; choice of fuselage cross section, wing design, weight reduction, ground handling etc, and on to manufacture, flight test and its (late) entry into service. The lecture finishes with a review of the new economic and environmental drivers for future large civil aircraft and some of the new technologies and aircraft configurations we may see beyond the A380.

Speakers:

Professor Jeff Jupp
Jeff Jupp recently retired as Director Technical, Airbus UK, and is currently Visiting Professor at Bath University. Having graduated with first class honours at Queens’ College Cambridge, he started his career in Civil Aircraft Design in the Aerodynamics Department at Hawker Siddeley, Hatfield, before moving with the Airbus project to British Aerospace at Filton, Bristol,where he was appointed Engineering Director in 1993. He is the joint holder of the 1993 Royal Society ‘Esso Energy

Award’ Gold Medal.

Speakers: Geoff Leach.