HMS BEAGLE PROJECT REVISITS AUSTRALIA, BUILDS NEW LINKS

6th December 2011

HMS Beagle Project directors David Lort-Phillips and Dr Karen James got a warm welcome at the Royal Institution of Australia – and good news coverage – during a visit to Adelaide this month. The project has strong ties to Australia, through family connections to John Lort-Stokes and Beagle’s six-year third voyage, which safeguarded coastal navigation and shipping lanes in the region.

James was also there to speak at the 4th International Barcode of Life Conference, and Lort-Phillips was also pursuing a deal with the publishers of an upcoming Beagle history by Marsden Hordern.

See the Adelaide Advertiser article here, or read the post by ‘Captain Skellett’ on our blog.

HMS BEAGLE PROJECT DIRECTOR HELPS ALMA EXPLORE THE ORIGIN OF STARS

3rd October 2011

BBC Mobile

The Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) has captured its first stunning images from a high plateau in northern Chile. The array, unprecedented in size and sophistication, will enable new investigations of the formation of galaxies, stars and planets. HMS Beagle Project director Dr. Ravinder Bhatia, a member of the Science and Chilean Outreach teams, is a System Engineer at ALMA.

HMS Beagle spent over a year (1834-1835) travelling the coastline of Chile. During this time, the crew witnessed the earthquake of 1835 and associated volcanic eruptions, and Charles Darwin undertook several journeys into the Andes.

Read more about ALMA’s explorations…

THERE ARE MORE VOYAGES TO COME

21st July 2011

E! Science News

As Atlantis drops anchor for the last time, Dr Karen James of The HMS Beagle Project trusts that our irrepressible human instinct to venture ever outward will not let us down.

This morning, the space shuttle Atlantis – “the last of the magnificent space flying rocket birds” – rolled to her final wheelstop. It’s a tough day for those of us who count ourselves fans of manned space exploration, but something I heard on NASA TV as the shuttle undocked from the International Space Station for the last time on Tuesday gave me hope… Read more

SPACE SHUTTLE’S LAST VOYAGE IS NOT THE END OF HUMAN SPACE EXPLORATION

Guardian online

After both the crew of Atlantis and mission controllers in Houston confirmed undocking, the familiar voice of the commentator came in: “Undocking confirmed at 1:28am central time. Atlantis weighs anchor from the International Space Station for the last time.” A few moments later, a bell rang out. It was astronaut Ron Garan ringing the station’s bronze ship’s bell in the traditional farewell to a departing vessel.

I heard that “weighs anchor” as a reminder of the continuity of human exploration, and I heard that bell’s ringing as a promise, to past, present and future generations, that our irrepressible human instinct to venture ever outward will not let us down… Read more

NOAH’S ARK ‘REPLICA’ FOR OLYMPICS?

2nd June 2011

Londonist

A Bible enthusiast wants to sail a Noah’s Ark lookalike up the Thames to coincide with the Olympics. Johan Huibers, described by the Telegraph as ‘an eccentric Dutch Christian’ has realised the mythical vessel to the same proportions as laid out in the Old Testament, and now seeks permission to moor it on the Thames.

Built from Swedish Pine, the 140m-long ship would contain real, stuffed and robotic animals as part of a floating exhibition about Christianity and the Bible. The unusual proposal is now sitting with Boris Almighty who must decide whether to bless or smite the project… Read more