UK Space Agency Launch- Mandy "Sec of State for Outer space
Discussion
Mandy is not content to dominate the UK, next stop the world 
"Lord Mandelson, who said he was speaking in his capacity as “Secretary of State for Outer Space” or “Space Mandy”
On a serious note, 'seems' a good idea... What kind of name is UKSA though FFS (and seems to be taken by a sailing charity.
Article:
When Apollo 13 ran into difficulties on its way to the Moon in 1970, its commander, Jim Lovell, famously announced to mission control: “Houston, we have a problem”.
Should Major Tim Peake encounter any mishaps when he flies to the International Space Station as Britain’s first official astronaut, he may find himself reporting back to a less glamorous destination: Swindon.
The Wiltshire town, better known for its roundabouts and car factories than for space travel, has been chosen as the headquarters for Britain’s first national space agency, which was launched today by Major Peake and Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary.
The new UK Space Agency (UKSA) will manage all the Government’s activities in civilian spaceflight, with the goal of transforming the sector into an economic powerhouse worth £40 billion a year by 2030.
The British version of Nasa aims to end fragmented responsibility for space policy, which is split between several Whitehall departments and science funding agencies, and develop a coherent strategy.
Many scientists and space industry leaders have blamed this patchwork structure for holding up the sector’s growth, while creating a false impression that Britain is a second-rate player in space.
Lord Mandelson, who said he was speaking in his capacity as “Secretary of State for Outer Space” or “Space Mandy”, said the new body would be a focal point for an industry that already contributes £6 billion to the economy and supports 68,000 jobs.
The agency “will have the muscle needed to coordinate space policy and boost our international standing,” he said. “It will bring together all UK civil space activities under one single management and give the sector the support it needs in order to grow.”
Lord Mandelson also highlighted the space industry’s role in providing universal broadband connections, high definition television and other modern telecommunications.
“I think it is important to remember that although it is cutting-edge, this stuff is not sci-fi,” he said. “It may start in space, but it comes down to Earth very quickly and is directly relevant to all our daily lives.”
Lord Drayson, the Science and Innovation Minister, said the new agency would take over the Swindon offices of the British National Space Centre, the less powerful body it replaces.
The location will keep the agency close to the two main funding bodies responsible for space research — the Science and Technology Facilities Council and the Natural Environment Research Council — which are also based in the town.
At a ceremony in London yesterday, the agency was officially launched when Lord Drayson handed a computer console to Major Peake, an Army Apache helicopter pilot who was selected last year as a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut.
The astronaut nicknamed “Major Tim” then pressed a large green button to start a 10-second countdown before the UKSA’s logo was unveiled: a red arrow striking out for the sky across a Union Flag.
The new agency will have a budget of £230 million a year, most of which has been transferred from other research councils or departments. This also includes £24 million of fresh taxpayer funding and £16 million from industry for a new International Space Innovation Centre in Harwell, Oxfordshire.
The UKSA will take over responsibility for paying Britain’s subscriptions to ESA, and for deciding which international projects the country should participate in. Previously, such decisions required input from multiple funding agencies, causing unnecessary bureaucracy and delay.
The establishment of the agency is part of the Government’s response to an expert report on the future of Britain’s space industry, which recently argued that the sector could grow to £40 billion and create 100,000 jobs in the next 20 years.
Lord Mandelson said: “This is exactly the kind of high value-added industry we need to support as we rebalance our economy, creating sustainable growth and the jobs of the future.”
Major Peake said: “I think it recognises the huge success story that the British space industry has been and sets the scene for us to take that success into the future.
“Britain has an enormous amount of talent in areas such as telecommunications and robots. It’s extremely important that we do try to encourage our younger generations to take up these sorts of careers, and today goes a long way towards achieving this.”
Asked what the new agency could be doing a century from now, Lord Drayson said: “I’d certainly like to see human beings living on Mars. That should be doable technically over that period.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/spac...
"Lord Mandelson, who said he was speaking in his capacity as “Secretary of State for Outer Space” or “Space Mandy”On a serious note, 'seems' a good idea... What kind of name is UKSA though FFS (and seems to be taken by a sailing charity.
Article:
When Apollo 13 ran into difficulties on its way to the Moon in 1970, its commander, Jim Lovell, famously announced to mission control: “Houston, we have a problem”.
Should Major Tim Peake encounter any mishaps when he flies to the International Space Station as Britain’s first official astronaut, he may find himself reporting back to a less glamorous destination: Swindon.
The Wiltshire town, better known for its roundabouts and car factories than for space travel, has been chosen as the headquarters for Britain’s first national space agency, which was launched today by Major Peake and Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary.
The new UK Space Agency (UKSA) will manage all the Government’s activities in civilian spaceflight, with the goal of transforming the sector into an economic powerhouse worth £40 billion a year by 2030.
The British version of Nasa aims to end fragmented responsibility for space policy, which is split between several Whitehall departments and science funding agencies, and develop a coherent strategy.
Many scientists and space industry leaders have blamed this patchwork structure for holding up the sector’s growth, while creating a false impression that Britain is a second-rate player in space.
Lord Mandelson, who said he was speaking in his capacity as “Secretary of State for Outer Space” or “Space Mandy”, said the new body would be a focal point for an industry that already contributes £6 billion to the economy and supports 68,000 jobs.
The agency “will have the muscle needed to coordinate space policy and boost our international standing,” he said. “It will bring together all UK civil space activities under one single management and give the sector the support it needs in order to grow.”
Lord Mandelson also highlighted the space industry’s role in providing universal broadband connections, high definition television and other modern telecommunications.
“I think it is important to remember that although it is cutting-edge, this stuff is not sci-fi,” he said. “It may start in space, but it comes down to Earth very quickly and is directly relevant to all our daily lives.”
Lord Drayson, the Science and Innovation Minister, said the new agency would take over the Swindon offices of the British National Space Centre, the less powerful body it replaces.
The location will keep the agency close to the two main funding bodies responsible for space research — the Science and Technology Facilities Council and the Natural Environment Research Council — which are also based in the town.
At a ceremony in London yesterday, the agency was officially launched when Lord Drayson handed a computer console to Major Peake, an Army Apache helicopter pilot who was selected last year as a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut.
The astronaut nicknamed “Major Tim” then pressed a large green button to start a 10-second countdown before the UKSA’s logo was unveiled: a red arrow striking out for the sky across a Union Flag.
The new agency will have a budget of £230 million a year, most of which has been transferred from other research councils or departments. This also includes £24 million of fresh taxpayer funding and £16 million from industry for a new International Space Innovation Centre in Harwell, Oxfordshire.
The UKSA will take over responsibility for paying Britain’s subscriptions to ESA, and for deciding which international projects the country should participate in. Previously, such decisions required input from multiple funding agencies, causing unnecessary bureaucracy and delay.
The establishment of the agency is part of the Government’s response to an expert report on the future of Britain’s space industry, which recently argued that the sector could grow to £40 billion and create 100,000 jobs in the next 20 years.
Lord Mandelson said: “This is exactly the kind of high value-added industry we need to support as we rebalance our economy, creating sustainable growth and the jobs of the future.”
Major Peake said: “I think it recognises the huge success story that the British space industry has been and sets the scene for us to take that success into the future.
“Britain has an enormous amount of talent in areas such as telecommunications and robots. It’s extremely important that we do try to encourage our younger generations to take up these sorts of careers, and today goes a long way towards achieving this.”
Asked what the new agency could be doing a century from now, Lord Drayson said: “I’d certainly like to see human beings living on Mars. That should be doable technically over that period.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/spac...
amir_j said:
Lord Drayson said: “I’d certainly like to see human beings living on Mars.
I hereby volunteer the Secretary of State for Outer Space to be the first to set foot on the Red planet. No doubt he would take Reinaldo or whoever is this week's boy toy, just so he can use the old "quick blast around Uranus" gag.MonkeyHanger said:
amir_j said:
Lord Drayson said: “I’d certainly like to see human beings living on Mars.
I hereby volunteer the Secretary of State for Outer Space to be the first to set foot on the Red planet. 
amir_j said:
Mandy is not content to dominate the UK, next stop the world [i]"Lord Mandelson, who said he was speaking in his capacity as “Secretary of State for Outer Space” or “Space Mandy”
He then added that he'd heard someone called Cassini had had a good probe around Saturn's ring and therefore similar opportunities should hopefully arise out there. [i]"Lord Mandelson, who said he was speaking in his capacity as “Secretary of State for Outer Space” or “Space Mandy”
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