The story I remember is that at the time she worked for Mars (developing the Mars ice cream), so one of the tabloids had the headline: "Woman from Mars goes to space!"
Peak British journalism.
The first British person in space
21–30 of 66 posts
Re: The first British person in space
#22[deleted]
Re: The first British person in space
#23It was really sad how she doesn't get the recognition she deserves for being the first Briton in space. Whether it's because she's a woman or because it was with the Russians she hasn't received the level of respect or adulation you expect for the achievement.
I think everybody in Britain of a certain age knows Helen Sharman. Her name popped into my head the moment I read the title of this post. It was certainly a big deal at the time. I know we don’t fawn over astronauts here, but I’m not sure what additional “respect” or “adulation” you’d expect? She may not be a household name now, but she certainly was at the time.
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Re: The first British person in space
#24It was really sad how she doesn't get the recognition she deserves for being the first Briton in space. Whether it's because she's a woman or because it was with the Russians she hasn't received the level of respect or adulation you expect for the achievement.
The public don't care that much about space I think - in the UK. It's not something people can pump themselves up with borrowed pride about. Our media is full of arts students and engineers are the people who come to fix your boiler. When technology is talked about, its only really impressive if it comes from somewhere else and sits in their hand. I'm from one of the other (forgotten) colonies so my perspective is pa…
I think you are part right. I do not really see the worship of the past, and am often concerned about failures to preserve the past.
I think the problem with things like satellites and technology in general is more to do with the ruling class being declinist, unambitious, and plain incompetent. We will be spending more on HS2 than NASA spent on Artemis, and HS2 is not even achieving anything close to its original aims. That is just one example.
> people here don't even know we have a satellite manufacturing industry that's quite successful and very sophisticated.
That is true. Again there is a reluctance of celebrate successes.
I am also also from a former colony BTW.
Re: The first British person in space
#25I remember Tim Peake being touted as the first British astronaut, and being a little confused (having previously met Helen Sharman at Imperial College London) had to dig this story up myself.
I remember Tim Peake being a big thing, but I don't remember anyone saying he was first
Re: The first British person in space
#26I wasn't aware of it until now, and I was surprised to find out that it took until 1991 for a Briton to fly to space - and with the Russians/Soviets no less, not with the Americans. But, if you look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_space_travel_by_na... , it looks like the Soviets recognized the propaganda value of giving a ride into space to citizens of "allied" nations (putting it in quotes because the…
The Soviets picked up on this early on. They got the first woman into space long before the USA did. First black man and east Asian too. They took quite a few people from eastern bloc countries including Cuba and East Germany (which is mentioned in the film "Goodbye Lenin".)
Re: The first British person in space
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
The public don't care that much about space I think - in the UK. It's not something people can pump themselves up with borrowed pride about. Our media is full of arts students and engineers are the people who come to fix your boiler. When technology is talked about, its only really impressive if it comes from somewhere else and sits in their hand. I'm from one of the other (forgotten) colonies so my perspective is pa…
The one thing British people do preen about with regards to technology is cars, but I think that has more to do with the cultural influence of Top Gear than it does the history.
"Boffin in shed launches rocket"
Re: The first British person in space
#28It was really sad how she doesn't get the recognition she deserves for being the first Briton in space. Whether it's because she's a woman or because it was with the Russians she hasn't received the level of respect or adulation you expect for the achievement.
She got a lot, and I mean a lot, of publicity at the time in the UK and I remember it well. However, her mission in itself wasn't particularly exciting and she certainly didn't engage in any gimmicks like playing a guitar in space.
She has had book tours, and has appeared on Brian Cox vehicles and the Sky at Night on numerous occasions.
Why isn't she well commemorated then?
* Personality? It obviously took personal toughness and resolve to get where she did. So that's moot. But she's never gone down the Chris Hadfield and Buzz Aldrin routes.
* Declining relations with Russia. Deffo a possibility. That and the fact that the UK media is very US-centric.
* The shine had gone off human space travel by the early nineties. Probes like Voyager etc were delivering the more exciting news. Her mission was fairly routine from what I remember.
There have been very few space travellers from the UK since. No Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish at all. It's worth pointing out that both Neil Armstrong and Yuri Gagarin had big parades and tours in Scotland back in the day. Armstrong went to his ancestral Langholm and got the freedom of the town. Gagarin toured mining communities to great excitement. There is even a Gagarin Way in a town in Fife long after the mines have gone.
If we're talking about commemoration, then maybe she could have had a role in the London Olympics or various Commonwealth Games. Seems odd.
Re: The first British person in space
#29Funny this should show up today. Tomorrow evening (23rd of May), Helen Sharman is appearing at a live QA session at the National Space Centre - https://www.spacecentre.co.uk/whats-on/an-evening-with-helen...
It is sold out...
Re: The first British person in space
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
The public don't care that much about space I think - in the UK. It's not something people can pump themselves up with borrowed pride about. Our media is full of arts students and engineers are the people who come to fix your boiler. When technology is talked about, its only really impressive if it comes from somewhere else and sits in their hand. I'm from one of the other (forgotten) colonies so my perspective is pa…
The one thing British people do preen about with regards to technology is cars, but I think that has more to do with the cultural influence of Top Gear than it does the history.
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