Helen Sharman, CMG, OBE


OUT OF THIS WORLD Helen Sharman, Britain’s first female astronaut, studied chemistry in 1984 at Sheffield University and applied to a radio advert in 1989. “Astronaut wanted; no experience necessary, must currently do a practical job, speak a foreign language and be physically fit”. As she drove home from her job as a Chemist with Mars Confectionery she thought, that’s for me. The newspapers had a field day with the headlines, “Girl from Mars goes to the Stars”.


Successful from 13,000 applicants, Helen became part of Project Juno, beginning 18 months of rigorous training at Star City in Russia. Getting used to weightlessness was tough; bodily fluids rise towards your face and your heart doesn’t pump so hard. A particular training favourite was a plane simulating weightlessness by making roller-coaster- like manoeuvres in the air. The simulation makes some passengers nauseous and it was nicknamed the “vomit comet”. During her time training and in space, contact with her family was very restricted as the only communication came through Russian Mission Control Centre.


Experiments were limited owing to British budget constraints and a lottery was one of several schemes used to raise money to underwrite the costs. Helen was researching how to grow vegetables in space as space affects growth. Important research for future missions as it takes months to reach Mars, plus the working time whilst on the mission and the travel back! Self-sufficiency in food production is not just something we need to consider on earth.


Some of the funnier aspects of being in space were that Helen found coffee stayed in the cup and she lost all sense of taste. She recounted her recycling experiences saying, “Whatever they put in the toilet, they recycled for use”. Thankfully the audience reacted with laughter and Helen declined to give more details, letting the imagination fill in the blanks.


A Purrrfect Evening


How does a President make her evening memorable? Association President Liz certainly made the Wednesday evening entertainment rather special. Was it the band “Old Dogz, New Trix” with their wonderful selection of the music of the 50s and 60s? Was it the amount of space for dancing the night away? These contributed to the fun but the real stars were the chowder of cats. What, you may ask is a “chowder”? It is one of the collective nouns for cats.


They came in all shapes and sizes. Many took their inspiration from the leopard’s marking while others were clearly more domesticated with their small pointed ears and black and white colouring. There were cat masks, cat pyjamas, tails, whiskers – you name it. There were even a few brave “Cool Chicks” among the felines.


Not a hiss was to be heard but plenty of purrs of satisfaction at this amusing way to party the night away. Some cats were happy to give their impressions of the Conference :


“Every Conference is great but this was super. The next one will be great too, though!”


“Tonight – this is what you CALL friendship.” “We’re not old – we’re behaving like kittens!” “President Liz was just lovely and natural.”


Helen’s experience in space encouraged her to change a bit of our world. Looking at the earth and up to the stars from her rocket window she was looking in a different direction. Her experience taught her, “Take a chance, make a change. Expect something out of this world”.


Ruth Riches www.innerwheel.co.uk


“Never again will I view IW Conference as a mystery. It’s enlightening and a girl’s fun time. See you next year in Cardiff.”


But the last word on this great evening of fun must surely come from one of the cats herself. “That was definitely a night to miaow about.”


The Publications Committee Page. 17


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20