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MSSL Alumni Celebrate 60 years of Skylark

14 November 2017

MSSL Alumni Chris Rapley, John Zarnecki and Ken Pounds came together with former director Alan Smith to celebrate 60 years since the start of the UK's Skylark rocket programme at a new exhibit at the

MSSL Alumni Celebrate 60 years of Skylark

MSSL Alumni Chris Rapley, John Zarnecki and Ken Pounds came together with former director Alan Smith to celebrate 60 years since the start of the UK's Skylark rocket programme at a new exhibit at the Science Museum. The Skylark programme signalled the start of the British space age. All four worked on numerous experiments launched on Skylark rockets during their times at MSSL.

The Skylark programme was a key aspect of the foundation of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, forming the cornerstone of the initial science projects developed at the lab. Of the 441 British Skylark launches, 132 carried MSSL experiments. These included experiments examining the charged particles in the upper atmosphere, to early x-ray observations of the Sun and other stars.

The new exhibit at the Science Museum explores the stories behind this remarkable programme, including stories from the engineers and scientists who worked on the project, as well as the ground-breaking science it led to.