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The helix nebula
[Source: NASA/ESA/JPL-Caltech]

Meet Professor Zarnecki

Read about Professor John Zarnecki's career in space in Meet Professor Zarnecki.

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OU Professor John Zarnecki delivers an educational and entertaining account of his personal involvement in space exploration, from an encounter with Yuri Gagarin to his present role as the designer of scientific instruments for many of the current expeditions.

Introduction

Open University Vice-Chancellor Brenda Gourley gives the introduction to the lecture.

Yuri and me

When he met the first man in space, it kick-started John’s career. He tells the story in Yuri and me.

The dirty window

Astronomers have real problems looking at stars through the atmosphere, the dirty window.

My first five minutes in space

X-rays, fireworks and kangaroos – John tells the story of his first five minutes in space.

A new perspective

After a dismal start, Hubble became vital to astronomy. John explains his part in the project, and shows us what Hubble can do.

Hot pursuit

The Giotto Project was Europe’s kamikaze mission to Halley’s comet. Discover the challenges of chasing a comet.

It might just work

Project Giotto was approaching Halley's Comet. No sign of life from the instruments. Was this the end of brave Giotto?

The one that got away

Explore the ill-fated Beagle 2 mission. What were they hoping to uncover on Mars, and what went wrong with Beagle 2?

One vital second

Seventeen years of work, seven years of space flight, all for one second of data from the Huygens Penetrometer.

Crème brûlée

What did we learn from the Huygens probe? Discover the remarkable similarities between Titan and… crème brûlée.

The next step

John tells us how missed out on being astronaut, and what he thinks the future holds. It’s not all disappointments and science fiction.

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