How Britain Won the Space Race: The Story of Bernard Lovell and Jodrell Bank
- Episode aired Nov 16, 2015
- 59m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
11
YOUR RATING
A look back at the history of Jodrell Bank, and how the telescope won its reputation in the Space Race.A look back at the history of Jodrell Bank, and how the telescope won its reputation in the Space Race.A look back at the history of Jodrell Bank, and how the telescope won its reputation in the Space Race.
Photos
Maxine Peake
- Self - Narrator
- (voice)
Bernard Lovell
- Self - Cosmologist
- (archive footage)
Bryan Lovell
- Self - Geologist
- (as Dr Bryan Lovell)
Tim O'Brien
- Self - Associate Director, Jodrell Bank Observatory
- (as Professor Tim O'Brien)
Teresa Anderson
- Self - Director, Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre
- (as Dr Teresa Anderson)
Francis Graham-Smith
- Self - Astrophysicist
- (as Prof Francis Graham-Smith)
Fred Hoyle
- Self - Cosmologist
- (archive footage)
Jon Agar
- Self - University College London
- (as Prof Jon Agar)
Jocelyn Bell Burnell
- Self - Astrophysicist
- (as Prof Jocelyn Bell Burnell)
Stewart Short
- Bernard Lovell
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe observatory was established in 1945 by Bernard Lovell, a radio astronomer at the university, to investigate cosmic rays after his work on radar in the Second World War. During the 1950's & 60's, it was heavily involved with the tracking of space probes at the start of the Space Age. It has since played an important role in the research of meteoroids, quasars, pulsars, masers, and gravitational lenses.
- ConnectionsFeatures The Inquisitive Giant (1957)
Featured review
Radio Astronomy
There is something of the against the odds tale in Timeshift: How Britain Won The Space Race: The Story of Bernard Lovell And Jodrell Bank. How a muddy field in Cheshire, a truck full of defunct wartime radio equipment and chicken wire became the site the world's largest radio telescope. It also enabled the the Americans and the Russians to track their competing spacecraft during the height of the Cold War.
Although Britain lagged behind sending objects and man to space, radio astronomy put Britain at the forefront of the new science that transformed our knowledge of the universe as we saw things not visible to the naked eye or through conventional telescopes. Radio waves allowed us to understand the beginnings of the universe with the Big Bang theory.
Professor Lovell, a meek physicist but a man of severe tenacity got government funding and public support to carry out his own scientific research as well as juggling competing pressures where politicians and the military had their own agendas by tracking what the Soviets were up to.
Professor Lovell died in 2012 but we the help of family, friends and people who knew him we get a picture of man with steely resolve.
Although Britain lagged behind sending objects and man to space, radio astronomy put Britain at the forefront of the new science that transformed our knowledge of the universe as we saw things not visible to the naked eye or through conventional telescopes. Radio waves allowed us to understand the beginnings of the universe with the Big Bang theory.
Professor Lovell, a meek physicist but a man of severe tenacity got government funding and public support to carry out his own scientific research as well as juggling competing pressures where politicians and the military had their own agendas by tracking what the Soviets were up to.
Professor Lovell died in 2012 but we the help of family, friends and people who knew him we get a picture of man with steely resolve.
helpful•10
- Prismark10
- Jul 5, 2016
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Filming locations
- Bomish Lane, Jodrell Bank, Cheshire, SK11 9DW, England, UK(Jodrell Bank Observatory)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime59 minutes
- Color
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