London Blog

Euston, We Have A Problem: London’s Connections To Space

With the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s space flight just a few days away (12 April), I decided to dig into London’s spacey secrets.

1. The space shuttle once came to London, strapped to the back of a 747. Atmospheric test vehicle Enterprise flew over Windsor and central London before landing at Stansted Airport.

2. In the 1980s, the government seriously considered knocking down Bankside Power Station (now Tate Modern) and building a space centre with simulated Martian colony. The scheme was the brainchild of Michael Young, who also invented the Open University and sired headline-grabbing author Toby Young. Here’s a concept image:

3. Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson’s space flight company, is registered at 6 Half Moon Street in Mayfair. Here:

4. The Royal Observatory in Greenwich contains the UK’s largest refracting telescope in the UK.

5. London will receive a new statue of Yuri Gagarin later this year, to be placed on the Mall.

6. The Science Museum contains the Apollo 10 capsule, which circled the moon on the mission before the first landing.

7. The space station has very few connections to London. However, its scale is best emphasised by comparing it to a London red bus and City Hall:

If that’s whetted your appetite, come along to my Spacetacular! space-themed variety evening on Yuri’s Night. Expect comedy, space science, space quizzing, tin foil and possibly some biscuits.

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