Space Journalist
Apollo 15 launch KSC 1971
That’s me standing fifth from right being photographed at the press site by UPI,
photographing the Apollo 15 launch. It was sensational. The engines start up, flames
gush out and the rocket strains on the pad before lifting off ever so slowly and it
is all in silence - then the noise hits, first a rumble, then an ear-bashing noise
like a having someone putting a blowtorch to your ear. The noise builds up to a
crescendo by the time the rocket is a couple of thousand feet up, then continues
for ages until it is a gentle murmur in the sky. People stand in silence, staring
at the sky.
Star City Soviet Union 1984
When Russia was the Soviet Union and the Evil Empire, Novosti press agency in
London arranged for me to visit Star City, the cosmonaut training centre. At the
time I was one of the few westerners to go inside those secret gates. I was rather
embarrassed to be received like a VIP by Georgi Beregovoi, the former cosmonaut
and head the centre. He was very interested in seeing some of my books, including
the Manned Spaceflight Log, in which he featured. I interviewed him via an
interpreter but didn't really get any new insights but I was taken to see some of
the simulators and a mock-up of the Mir space station module.
The foolhardy launch of STS 51D KSC 1985
I made it to the Kennedy Space Centre to see a Shuttle launch, STS51D Discovery
that had been hijacked by Senator Jake Garn, who helped to control NASA’s budget.
It was dark and cloudy and there was drizzle in the air but at the last moment,
NASA’s administrator James Beggs marched into the launch control room and the go
ahead for launch was given! Garn had to go on time. The budget depended on it!
It was an irresponsible launch.
Where it all began Pad 1 Baikonur 1988
Me on the pad Pad 1 at Baikonur for Soyuz This was where it all began for me -
and Gagarin of course. If someone had told that 12 year old boy on the day Gagarin
was launched, "Tim, one day you will stand on his launch pad"
No countdown Baikonur 1988
The launch of Soyuz TM7 was extraordinary. The launch pad was only about a mile away.
There was no countdown. Suddenly, the engines ignited and off it went in a hell
of a din. That was it.
Pete Conrad Farnborough Air Show 1988
Pete Conrad was the most was down to Earth moonman and happy to tell his space
shanties. He came down to Earth in the executive ranks. Former astronauts had to earn a salary
like everybody else. Their business performance mattered now, not their spaceflights
- although of course having a former astronaut in tow was useful to companies at
certain functions, to be wheeled out to tell his stories.
STS 62 crew training Houston 1994
I met astronaut Pierre Thuot at the Paris Air Show in 1993. He had been assigned to
STS 62. Pierre arranged a visit for me to Houston some time before the launch. I sat in the
simulator during STS 62 launch, on-orbit and landing simulations, attended meetings
and watched various training sessions for the use of equipment. The simulations
were an eye-opener and featured a Return to Launch Site and contingency aborts. It was a great a few
days.
Broadcaster
I made my first radio broadcast in December 1972, doing a preview of the Apollo 17 mission on BBC Radio London's Shindig young people's Saturday Show and became a regular for a couple of years. I also did interviews with Capital Radio, LBC, Radio 2 and Radio 4's Today programme and many Tony Blackburn Breakfast Show’s on Saturday mornings as a regular "space guest", also working with Maggie Philbin and Keith "Cheggers" Chegwin. I did my first TV on TVAM, previewing the STS 6 mission in 1983, when I spent most of the time in the toilet while waiting to go on air - with Angela Rippon (not in the toilet).
Just as we were about to go live, I noticed that her skirt was folded above her knee and my instinctive pre-curtain-up theatrical experience led me to put my hand on her knee as we went on air, to folding the skirt over her knee. I am probably the only person to have been on live TV with my hand on Angela Rippon’s knee - that’s my only claim to fame.
The most enjoyable job was as the "space expert" on BBC TV's Saturday Superstore and Going Live in 1985-88. Newsround’s John Craven was a great guy to work with on Saturday mornings and the best part was answering viewers questions live. Working with Sarah Green (pictured) was especially nice. She was just so calm, natural and a really nice person.
We are pictured talking about Voyager 2's fly by of Uranus - just days before the Challenger accident on 26 January 1986 – ironically the busiest time I have spent TV, being interviewed and reporting on the accident for five days.
On the BBC TV Newsnight special, aired just two hours after the accident, Peter Snow soon realised which of the hastily-assembled "experts" knew what they were talking about and just let me commentate continuously over images and pictures that were coming in. However, my first live to camera report on a Saturday morning's Going Live in October 1967 (the day after the "hurricane") was a disaster. I assumed I would be OK but when I looked to where the camera was when I last looked, it was not there and I lost concentration and then continued to make made a complete hash of trying to remember my script.
I also did many film reports on location for Superstore and Going Live, one from inside the Apollo 10 command module in the Science Museum and they were really enjoyable. The first of these was at British Aerospace in Stevenage and the producer assumed I was a "pro" and thankfully continued to think so when I had done my first piece to camera. I think the last time I did any broadcast work was presenting a long film report on BBC TV's Antenna in 1991.
Having moved down to North Devon in 1988, I realised that I would lose out on this part of the business and to be honest I didn’t really enjoy it that much because whatever people say, live TV is pretty stressful. I have seen regular TV professionals shaking with fear before they go on air and that includes me!