posted 04-07-2016 03:44 PM               

Some of us made the decision to buy tickets without knowing the name of the astronaut but some decided to wait and see before deciding to try to buy tickets. Once it was announced that it was Gene Cernan the remaining tickets sold out very quickly and some people who then sent payments for the dinner and lecture were told that they were too late.

posted 04-08-2016 02:48 AM               

I have had the honour of meeting both Ken Mattingly and Jim Lovell in Pontefract and they are two astronauts I never thought I would have the opportunity of meeting. I met General Stafford at Autographica in Birmingham back in 2009 and cannot wait to meet him again, and hear him speak this time.

posted 04-08-2016 06:32 AM               

Be thankful you have some great people there who volunteer their time and put this one basically at cost for you. I'm not aware of anything on this side of the pond that comes close, yes there is ASF and Spacefest, but those are much larger outlays of cash to do a dinner and lectures, plus an autograph costs you more on top of that.

posted 04-09-2016 04:07 PM               

I know that choosing a favourite astronaut speech is like choosing a favourite child, however this is possibly the best yet. The level of the man's knowledge, intellect and wit was breathtaking. He ended up talking for nearly two hours and he could have kept going had it not been for the need to press on with the signings part of the day. He also looked as if he was really enjoying the event. It was a good call to let Tom carry on with his talk and loose the Q&A. The Q&A is a great idea but in my view only if time allows. A huge well done to Tom, Ken and the rest of the Pontefract team. It gets even better.

posted 04-09-2016 05:33 PM               

When Gene Cernan was admitted to hospital earlier this week his agent could just have made contact with Space Lectures and said that he could not attend. He did not do that. Gene Cernan rang Tom Stafford and asked him to help him out as there were many people in Pontefract who were hoping to see him. Despite being ill he was thinking of others and how he did not want us to be disappointed.

In New York the weather was bad General Stafford's flight was delayed. He got into Manchester at 3.30 on Friday afternoon and at 6.30 he was doing a photo session. Pre-dinner he did a short talk and then we had the meal, raffle, auction and autograph session. The meal was alright but I do have a slight request for Wentbridge House — Treacle sponge and custard for desert.

Tom Stafford talked for one hour 40 minutes and given the chance he would have gone on even longer. The scheduled Q&A session was abandoned so maybe it's just as well that Brian Cox had filming commitments in America and could not attend. I did hear comments that some people were unhappy that Brian Cox cancelled but as has been said before he was attending for free, not under contract, as a fan of the space program.

General Stafford talked about each of his Gemini flights, Apollo 10 and the Apollo Soyuz test project. You could see that he was enjoying himself and kept asking how the time was going.

We should consider ourselves fortunate that Gene Cernan, despite been ill, made the effort to ensure we were not disappointed and that Tom Stafford at such short notice changed his schedule. At 85 he could have had many reasons as to why he could not make the trip but he did an for that we should be grateful.

For the lecture ticket price of £95 we were treated to a long talk and an autograph.

posted 04-09-2016 05:40 PM            

What a superb substitute at such short notice and can't see how anybody could possibly complain. A nice touch with Gene Cernan sending his apologies to us and hopefully he will soon recover and come to Pontefract soon.

posted 04-10-2016 03:41 AM               

Whilst I understand that some were disappointed that Capt. Cernan would not be attending, I'd be very surprised if anyone failed to find Gen. Stafford entertaining, insightful and a more than worthy stand in!

posted 04-10-2016 05:31 AM               

Of course the whole thing would have been a non-event without the last minute stand in with Tom Stafford.

What a stand in. Future astronauts will have to pull out all of the stops to equal his performance over the weekend. If I have only of his stamina at his age I'll be laughing.

posted 04-10-2016 07:38 AM               

His lecture was arguably the most entertaining yet and I was in awe of what this man has achieved. If only we were not on a time schedule, I could have sat there until midnight listening to him (and he looked like he could go until then too).

posted 04-10-2016 11:09 AM               

"It is with personal regret that I am unable to be with you this weekend. I have had some health issues and a setback last week that have prevented me from being able to travel. I know you will enjoy my good friend General Tom Stafford, my former Commander on Gemini 9 and Apollo 10. So please welcome him and I look forward to hopefully being able to visit you some time in the future." – Capt. Eugene A. Cernan. Friday April 8th, 2016.

Ken Willoughby leads Space Lectures: a small motley band of reprobates many of whom you would not want to meet on a dark night; one or two even smell funny! But we make for a great team that in just two days turned around an event that had been nine months in the planning.

Thanks largely to the efforts of Ken Willoughby, Julie McDermott (Mrs OWL), Gene's PA Claire Johnson and the Captain himself, they managed to conjur up an alternate speaker at the eleventh hour... plus 59 minutes! A personal invitation from Gene Cernan was all it took for Tom to drop everything, reschedule a business trip and step in to help his close friend; such selflessness is what separates Tom Stafford from the many and speaks volumes to the character of the man.

To describe General Tom Stafford as some kind of understudy, stand-in or substitute does the man a huge disservice. A pioneering astronaut with an enviable spaceflight record his NASA days formed just part of an amazing career to which all of his contemporaries could only aspire.

The General was set to arrive at the Wentbridge House hotel at 9.00 a.m. on Friday. Plenty of time you might think to rest, freshen up and sign a few items for the evening auction. But fate once again conspired against us. Weather conditions out of New York meant that Tom had to re-route via Miami and Heathrow. He finally made it at 5.00 p.m., minus some of his luggage, and just one hour before the photo shoot was due to start. If Ken Willoughby had any hairs on his head they would have turned white!

Within the hour Tom had freshened up, signed the auction pieces and was pressing the flesh in the photo room. Circumstances surrounding the event only served to heighten the sense of appreciation and the standing ovation afforded the General as he entered the dining room was genuine and heartfelt.

Tom addressed the audience for 10 minutes or so and it quickly became evident we were in for a good night. "I've travelled all over the world in my career and I'm often asked which is my favourite place to visit? It has to be England — not because I had some great times here as a test pilot, but because the locals speak English!"

Mark Craig, director of the movie "The Last Man on The Moon" joined us (and the Apollo 17 moon rock samples) for the evening. I think he welcomed a break from the stresses associated with having to change the many Mark Stewart Productions' engagements planned for Capt. Cernan in the days that followed our event.

The format of the evening was typical. The photo opportunity, a fine meal then the raffle, an auction and then autographs. When we finished the team expected the General to fall off his chair and straight in to bed — he must have been shattered. Not Tom, "I'd like a night cap. Do you have an port?"

We retreated to a quiet room where Howard, our resident whit, raconteur and Mick Jagger look alike talked about the Battle of Trafalgar. Tom was fascinated to hear how the British sailors outgunned the French, (due largely to training with the parrallels that had with the military of today) the damage sustained by the French as a result and the kinds of injuries meted out by such fire power. Before retiring to bed Tom thanked everybody for the day. "I've really enjoyed myself. I'd heard good things about you, but from the photographer to the signing, the organisation and the finesse have been excellent."

I thought perhaps this was some kind of motivational speech to rally the troops for the day ahead but Andrew McDermott (OWL) told me later that Tom reiterated the point as he was escorting the General to his room. That kind of endorsement means more than he will ever know.

Naturally Tom was tired after his long flight. He could be forgiven a lie-in the next morning. He at least avoided OWL's tricky encounter with Ken MacTaggert's sausage but that's a story for another day.

Carleton Community High School was again the venue for the lecture. The vendors Nick, Briar and Richard set up early and the place filled quickly. The lecture began with the message from Capt. Cernan (first read to the dinner guests the previous evening) expressing his personal regret at the late turn of events but assuring everybody that in Tom Stafford we were in safe hands.

And so it proved. Never before have we had a speaker with such a breadth of knowledge and first-hand experience of the aerospace industry. From his early days as a test pilot at Edwards Force Air Base through firing "bottle rockets" at Soviet policemen in 1974 and his aerospace work beyond, the breadth of knowledge, detail and insight afforded by Tom sprinkled with a goodly number of anecdotes and jokes was quite remarkable. And the less said about Ron Evans and the Playboy centre fold magazine the better!

It was evident both at the lecture and in private conversation that General Stafford is rightly as proud of his career with the US Air Force and the US Government as he was with his NASA days.

In May 1990, Tom was made chair of a committee to independently advise NASA how to carry out President George H.W. Bush's vision of returning to the Moon, this time to stay, and then go on to explore Mars. The resulting publication, "America at the Threshold," a road map for the next 30 years of U.S. manned spaceflight is still viewed as the blueprint for future space exploration.

Tom Stafford may be a veteran of four historic space missions but the fact that 60% of the current US Air Force strike capability (stealth bombers to F-16s, refuelling tankers to Tomahawk missiles) is directly attributable to him should give you a sense of his place in aerospace history.

General Stafford's list of honours and accolades for services to aerospace and engineering reads like a who's who of such and of itself speaks volumes for the man's achievements. But I know he is particularly proud of being the 2011 recipient of The Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy: an annual award bestowed upon some of the most historic aviation leaders the world has known. It would seem only right and fitting.

The lecture was arguably our best yet. That is what I heard time and again as the audience in turn thanked Tom at the signing table. At one hour 40 minutes it was unquestionably our longest and had we not stepped it would have been considerably longer.

At this point, we would like to apologise for the lack of the 20 minute Q&A. All that money our resident compere David Jones had spent on Grecian 2000 had been wasted but I think it safe to say, most think that a small price to pay for the length and calibre of the lecture. The audience had been blown away by what they had just heard.

And to cap it all, we had a personal video message from Scott Kelly, via the ISS inviting the audience to join him and his brother Mark at our next event in October. Please visit the Space Lectures website for details but I suspect if you have not ordered tickets you may already be too late.

Over the two days I spoke to literally hundreds of people. Each to a man/woman would like to offer Gene Cernan their VERY best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. The resounding message from Pontefract was "Get well soon Gene!"

Such have been recent circumstances there is a huge amount of good will on the part of Capt. Cernan to make good on his promise to attend a future Space Lectures event. That may be next year; it may be a short notice opportunist event should Gene be fit and find himself in the UK on other business later this year. Who knows? We are committed and excited at the prospect of Mark and Scott Kelly joining us in October but I think it prudent to keep your piggy banks topped up and have a bag packed just in case. Priority for such an event should it happen, will be given to all those who bought tickets for this event and should such a short notice "splash and dash" opportunity arise, only then to be postponed at the last minute, all monies would be refunded.

Ken would like to take this opportunity to thank his team of "merry men" and Howard, for their efforts over the last few days. Of course a huge thank you to Capt. Cernan and General Stafford for what ultimately was a brilliant occasion. But above all to everybody that attended and supported the event. Your continued support is very much appreciated.

Despite all the issues the total amount raised by Space Lectures (since inception) for UNICEF and Foundation di Loto to date has now risen to £8,800 with possibly more to come. Thank you again!

posted 04-11-2016 12:39 PM               

I thoroughly enjoyed both the dinner in the Wentbridge and the lecture on Saturday. General Stafford was on top form, his anecdotes were witty and incredibly interesting. His recollections of Gemini 9 (in particular Deke Slayton's "pep talk" before the launch!) and the 4th of July antics in Star City were definite highlights for me!

posted 04-13-2016 05:58 PM               

Apollo 10 was the first space mission I remember sitting down to watch and I have watched every space mission since then. Tom Stafford was brilliant. He thanked me for coming from Scotland to hear his talk!

posted 04-15-2016 10:42 AM               

I don't think anyone would complain about how long the General spoke for but the event organisation could have been better to maximise the time. Less is more, felt like too many chefs stirring the broth, but the people supporting were super friendly and helpful nearly all of the time. It was my first event so perhaps now I've been to one it will be easier next time.

(Feedback is to ensure the events are good rather than just whinge and blow smoke — please take it in the spirit that its given!)

Of course people are free to leave when they choose but if you wanted your picture that you had paid for (£20!) you had to wait. Many people who travelled up for the day had trains and planes to catch and its worth bearing this in mind in the future.

The raffle was excellent though and so pleased I won the metal print of the lunar rover — its outstanding! If anyone has the contact details of the chap that made these I'd love to get more of these made.

Just hope we get over the season one of Deep Space Nine situation the space programme has got itself into, I can't imagine an STS or ISS cosmonaut (astronauts go places) as entertaining as the general; so that these lectures are as interesting for my granddaughter, as the general was for me, 40 years from now!

posted 04-15-2016 12:53 PM               

In the past folks have picked up their photos and then joined the queue straight away even if they were sat on the last row. This system is only employed so that in true British fashion the last shall not be the first!

posted 04-15-2016 02:19 PM               

And I can speak for Ken and the rest of the team when I say we welcome constructive criticism. If you trawl back over past coverage of Space Lectures events you will note that we have used such to improve each event going forward.

Many of those at both the dinner and the lecture are regulars of many years standing. As a newcomer you will not have witnessed Space Lectures as it has evolved over the years; the first event circa 2005. That said, we are always looking at ways to make the next better still and October's event will be no different.

Our astronaut speakers typically speak for an hour, with a Q&A to follow. At one hour forty minutes General Stafford was a real treat, but going forward we will see to it that normality is resumed with a status quo in keeping with your own observation ie. less WILL be more.

Chris is correct in what he says. Several people who had trains to catch showed the marshalls their tickets and were brought out to join the queue close to the signing table. Several others who could not wait gave their pieces to Mrs OWL and she saw to it that they were signed and will be forwarded on.

With regards the photos, I remember some years ago that they were not be ready until after the signing was well under way. I think the Alan Bean event in 2013 was the first time that they were ready before the signing began.

The audience is brought up a row at a time and routed past the photos: they can be collected on route to the signing table. The scrummage that on occasion has happened as soon as the photos are brought out serves only to delay proceedings and the resulting sense of injustice felt for the queue jumpers raises tempers.

Talking of which, my first event was Alan Bean the first time he came to Ponte in 2007. The signing session was pretty chaotic and from memory took around three and a half hours. Everybody it seemed stood up at once and descended upon Alan from all points west.

I think General Stafford completed the signing in one hour twenty.... a little short of our record Lovell signing (one hour ten). And that is with the same numbers in the audience as for Alan Bean way back. The current process means people further back (particularly those on the back rows) are seated for much of the time and are only standing in the queue for 15 minutes or so.

As for chefs stirring the broth.... I would not recommend eating anything I had cooked. But both in person and in correspondence since the event, General Stafford stated that "this was the best organised and most professional event I have attended". Perhaps the Space Lectures team should enter the next series of "Masterchef"!

posted 04-16-2016 01:05 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Rick Mulheirn:
Perhaps the Space Lectures team should enter the next series of "Masterchef"!

---

This post makes a nice round 150 for Tom Stafford. And yes - Rick, bless his little (large?) cotton socks is quite right - the photo processing has been speeded and there are arrangements in place to cater for those who have time constraints.

posted 04-16-2016 07:06 AM               

Is there a need to make sure that the one hour time for the lecture is adhered to though? If, like Gen Stafford, they wish to talk for longer, why should we stop them? I certainly don't think less would have been more in his case. With us having two speakers in October, one could argue that they may feel pressured to both get their stories across in one hour.

A possible solution is a 3 p.m. start, which would allow some slippage in the schedule if the astronauts do over run.

After some very short lectures at other events, I welcomed Gen Stafford's protracted offering.

posted 04-19-2016 01:28 PM               

Alternately out of the theatre to the right, around the back, past the loos and such before re-entering again stage left. That would require more manpower and there would be the added distractions and potential issues as people using the loos on route slipped back in the queue or attempted to rejoin the queue in what they believed was their rightful place.