posted 09-11-2018 07:41 PM
Ken Willoughby and Space Lectures are delighted to announce the next speaker coming to Pontefract in 2019. Making his first appearance in the UK is cosmonaut Gennady Padalka.
Padalka holds the record for the longest time spent in space by any human being: five missions and 879 cumulative days from 1985 to 2015. His first mission (Soyuz TM-28) was to the former space station Mir, followed by four long duration stays aboard the International Space Station (Soyuz TMA-4/ISS-9, Soyuz TMA-14/ISS-19/20, Soyuz TMA-04M/ISS 31/32, Soyuz TMA-16M/ISS 43/44).
A fluent English speaker, Padalka was personally recommended by his good friend and previous Space Lectures' speaker Scott Kelly.
Details of the event are as follows:
Friday, 5 April 2019: Evening Dinner and Auction £100 The Wentbridge House Hotel, Pontefract Photo shoot: 18.00-18.45 (£30 payable on the day) Dinner 19.00-21.00 Auction and autograph session
Saturday, 6 April 2019: Lecture £30 Carleton Community High School "The Infinity Theatre" Doors open at 14.00 Photo shoot: 14.45-15.45 (£30 payable on the day) Lecture 16.00-17.00 Q&A session, approximately 15 to 20 minutes Autograph session
Kite Member
Posts: 831 From: Northampton UK Registered: Nov 2009
posted 09-12-2018 04:30 AM
Great news. Already looking forward to it. Thanks Ken and team.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-12-2018 05:25 AM
From all accounts Gennady is a terrific speaker so it promises to be something special. When it comes to experience few if any can compete with the man.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-12-2018 04:46 PM
I would appreciate it if any collectSPACE member who has attended any or all Space Lectures events would share the news of Gennady Padalka's appearance amongst their circle of friends and acquaintances using social media and such.
The response to yesterday's announcement has been tremendous but after the lack lustre reaction to the planned October Gibson/Seddon event I think we should leave no stone unturned in getting the message out.
Thanks in advance for the support. As always it is much appreciated.
gareth89 Member
Posts: 298 From: Ireland Registered: May 2014
posted 09-13-2018 09:21 AM
I’m thoroughly looking forward to the Padalka event, as Rick says his experience is unrivaled!
I think that now that the time of the moonwalkers visiting us is coming to an end, listening to men and women like Padalka, whose history many of us may not be as knowledgeable of, is extremely important to keep younger generations interested in space flight.
Roll on 2019!
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-13-2018 09:50 AM
Could not agree more Gareth!
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-14-2018 06:29 PM
Thankfully we will not be needing the services of a translator for the Padalka event next April. Gennady is a fluent English speaker.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-15-2018 05:53 AM
I would like to invite all the budding graphic designers to conjour up a suitable photo shoot backdrop for the Padalka event and post their designs to this thread for consideration.
The winning backdrop designer will win a signed Padalka portrait shot against their design with the compliments and appreciation of Space Lectures.
The event is moving along apace: nearly 100 lectures tickets sold in the first two days alone — so I would on this occasion like to set a time limit for all entries of October 14th. All designs will then be judged by Ken Willoughby and the winner announced soon after.
Ladies and gentlemen, fire up your photoshop!!
crash Member
Posts: 318 From: West Sussex, England Registered: Jan 2011
posted 09-15-2018 08:09 AM
This is going to be a great event! Gennady Padalka brings with him a wealth of experience from working, and training, alongside his MIR and ISS colleagues. I am particularly interested in his MIR mission and look forward to getting a first-hand recollection of what life was truly like and the daily challenges. Yes, there are some books out there but hearing it from the man in person cannot be beaten. He will also give a fantastic insight into the workings of Roscosmos and his time on the ISS.
He will be a great addition to the Space Lectures Hall of Fame and I strongly recommend people to join me in buying tickets to meet him as this will be one not to miss. I look forward to seeing you all there.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-15-2018 06:43 PM
A further 20 Padalka lecture tickets have been sold this evening. The proverbial hot cakes springs to mind. Anybody who leaves buying a ticket to the last minute may be disappointed.
Buel Member
Posts: 649 From: UK Registered: Mar 2012
posted 09-17-2018 04:27 PM
This looks like an excellent guest. I must admit that I was unaware of Padalka's vast experience until now. A great choice!
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-22-2018 04:57 AM
22 days in which to submit photo shoot backdrop designs for the Padalka event. At this rate, I'll have to dig out my felt tips!
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-24-2018 05:52 AM
There are still seven months until Padalka graces the Space Lectures stage, but the mechanics of this particular event mean that a sizeable down payment has to be paid to Gennady in October: much earlier than would normally be the case.
Ken would appreciate it therefore if anybody is looking to purchase tickets do so sooner than later. And remember, the sooner you buy a ticket the nearer the front you will be seated. Tickets are allocated with payment and not a promise to pay. Thanks in advance.
moorouge Member
Posts: 2454 From: U.K. Registered: Jul 2009
posted 09-24-2018 09:32 AM
May I add my voice to Rick's plea. Ken and his team work extremely hard behind the scenes to bring these people to Pontefract and they deserve your full support. As Rick has said, the arrangements have to be made well in advance and rely on the early sale of tickets to meet all the contractual arrangements necessary to ensure that the dinner and lecture can take place. So please - do book early and if you're aware of friends who are likely to come can you make sure that they get their tickets now.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-24-2018 03:52 PM
Has anyone managed to calculate how many million miles Gennady Padalka has travelled in space? He must hold the record of furthest travelled human in history?
A question about Gennady Padalka that popped up on Facebook earlier today. With any luck the man himself will tell us, but in the mean time would anybody like to hazard a guess?
Larry McGlynn Member
Posts: 1255 From: Boston, MA Registered: Jul 2003
posted 09-24-2018 04:09 PM
351,500,000 miles. 16 orbits/day x 25,000 miles/orbit x 879 days = 351,600,000 miles.
Ironman Member
Posts: 66 From: England Registered: Feb 2015
posted 09-24-2018 04:24 PM
I got a similar figure. 16 orbits a day at an altitude that gives an single orbit distance of 26,440 miles = 423,040 miles per day x 879 days = 371,852,160 miles travelled relative to the Earth.
Is there a prize?
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-24-2018 05:41 PM
Both figures are close, but not the figure I have. It is my understanding that Mir and ISS differed slightly in orbital velocity and altitude.
I can confirm that the title of Gennady's lecture will be "A Walk in Space." Kind of puts the Proclaimers walk in to perspective!
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-24-2018 06:01 PM
An update from Ken. He will ask Gennady before dinner the total distance that he believes he has travelled around the globe.
The seat next to Gennady will be empty: Anybody and everybody is welcome to speculate on the answer but Gennady's answer will be announced on the night and the winner (actual or closest) will be chosen on the night from the gathered dinner guests. They will then take their winning seat next to Gennady for the evening.
posted 09-26-2018 04:55 AM
That's a great reward for the winner!
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-26-2018 06:23 AM
There is still ongoing discussion between Ken and the team re the logistics of drawing the winner on the night: Ken would prefer to know who is sitting where before the big day so there may be a tweak of some sort between now and April. But at least one dinner guest (and perhaps their partner) is in for a nice surprise. Further details as and when I have them.
In the mean time, our dinner guests might want to swot up on a few Russian phrases just in case: Hello, thank you, nice to meet you and of course... mine's a Guinness!
Gennady does speak fluent English but a translator will be on hand for Yorkshire folk!!!!
posted 09-27-2018 05:57 PM
Will there be a translator for Scottish people?
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-27-2018 06:17 PM
Och aye!
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 09-29-2018 01:52 PM
We've had the first backdrop suggestion/mock-up for the Padalka event. While the designer may not be a collectSPACE member they are a follower and will be attending the event in April, so I think it right and proper that his design is considered.
I'd be interested to see more suggestions. The closing date for backdrop designs is October 14th. Thank you.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 10-05-2018 06:41 AM
Ken has just told me that he has had his first Padalka ticket order from the United States!! What's more they are bringing with them a particularly juicy flown artifact for the auction.
This kind of support and generosity of spirit never ceases to amaze Ken and the team.
The event is bubbling along nicely! In a little over 3 weeks since this event was announced more than half the tickets have already sold... and the event is still 7 months away.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 10-08-2018 04:38 AM
There is just a week to go to the closing date for Padalka backdrop. Anybody working on a design should post them here quickly for consideration. The winning designer will receive their own Padalka signed photo courtesy of Space Lectures shot against their backdrop.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 10-09-2018 12:56 PM
I have come up with two Padalka backdrop designs for consideration. In the event one of my designs is chosen I will donate a Padalka signed portrait to a suitable cause yet to be determined.
I used TK Mattingly and a crash test dummy for the mock ups!
Ironman Member
Posts: 66 From: England Registered: Feb 2015
posted 10-11-2018 03:36 PM
Two Gennady Padalka backdrop offerings.
Mike Lambert Member
Posts: 10 From: Newark, England Registered: Apr 2016
posted 10-13-2018 07:55 AM
crash Member
Posts: 318 From: West Sussex, England Registered: Jan 2011
posted 10-13-2018 01:13 PM
Good one, Mike.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 10-13-2018 02:50 PM
Thanks Mike. Just made it. Will now run all the suggestions by Ken and announce the winner Sunday.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 10-15-2018 02:28 PM
The winning backdrop selection has been made by Ken. I had no say in his choice: just as well as he chose one of my designs.
But I will be sure to get a portrait of Gennady signed and mailed out to Mike Lambert courtesy of Space Lectures for his design, which Ken tells me came a close second.
Thank to everybody that participated.
Mike Lambert Member
Posts: 10 From: Newark, England Registered: Apr 2016
posted 10-16-2018 03:36 AM
Thank you Rick and Ken, happy to come a close second. See you in April.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 10-19-2018 05:51 PM
Mike, if you catch me in person at either the dinner or the lecture I will hand you your Padalka signed portrait: it'll save me the postage!
You can't miss me: I'll be the tall George Clooney lookalike assisting at the signing table...
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 11-13-2018 06:20 PM
A note of thanks to The British Interplanetary Society for their continued support of Space Lectures events courtesy of an advert for the Padalka event in the latest edition of Spaceflight magazine.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 11-21-2018 03:26 PM
Nice to see a Twitter endorsement earlier today for the Padalka event from Prof Brian Cox. He'd have liked to have attended but he's on something of a world tour at that time.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 12-04-2018 06:26 AM
It's not too late to buy Padalka event tickets as a Christams gift. Ken should be able to turn around any order placed in the next week or two and get tickets in the mail in time for Christmas.
After that Ken will be donning his customary white beard, red outfit and matching red nose before hitting the "snug" chimneys of Pontefract!
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 01-07-2019 03:13 AM
Ticket sales for April's event continue to tick along nicely helped in no small measure by Santa Claus and a further endorsement last evening from Prof Brian Cox on twitter. We still have tickets left for both the dinner and the lecture but for how much longer is anybody's guess. April will be upon us before we know it!
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 01-22-2019 02:35 AM
The remaining tickets for the Padalka event are now available through the Eventbrite website, in addition to the usual outlets (i.e. Ken directly).
spaceman Member
Posts: 1104 From: Walsall, West Midlands, UK Registered: Dec 2002
posted 01-25-2019 12:43 PM
Looking forward to the event and we will have a large selection of space items for sale. Mission patches for Gennady's many missions become a collection on their own, plus mission pins, stamp covers, etc.