Fire A Rocket For Beck

Today is going to be a bit of a special day for me.

I am spending the day at the Astro Physics Department as we prepare a new OurRebakah project.

We are going to FIRE A ROCKET TO BECK.

When Rebekah passed away a former student of mine, a lovely lady - TANYA, told me to go out into the garden and look up to the sky. The brightest star would be Rebekah.  That mean a lot, Tanya today your thought will take on a new meaning. At the university I will be shown how the radio telescope works.

A friend of Rebekah's, Elaine, paid for a star to be named Rebekah Deer. A wonderful gift in her memory.

I took Tanya's words and changed them a little bit - GO OUT INTO THE GARDEN, LOOK UP TO THE SKY AND THE STAR THAT IS SMILING WILL BE REBEKAH DEER.

The radio telescope on the roof of Bristol University was paid for by by an old friend of mine, Bill. 

Professor Birkinshaw at the university will be showing me round and explaining how it works. I am sure my simple brain will not comprehend the complexities of such a sophisticated piece of science. I have already explained to the professor that A RADIO TELESCOPE IS NOT NEEDED TO FIND STAR REBEKAH - IT IS THE STAR THAT IS SMILING.

Tomorrow I will start the countdown to firing the rocket.

Beck's rocket, or rather rockets - there will be 15 of them, are not Apollo 11. Our rockets are fireworks.

I am going to pay myself for the rockets then give them to friends who want to join in the fun.

The rockets will be BIG display rockets, not the tiddly little things you buy in the supermarket !

These friends will then fire them into the sky on any of these dates. Friday 3rd November (that's my birthday BTW), Saturday 4th November or Sunday 5th November.

I need you to take a photograph of your rocket as it explodes in the sky. The photographs will then appear on a special page in the OurRebekah website.

Finally we want those who have fired the rockets to use social media to get people to view their pictures. We will invite people to sponsor the pictures for £2 each. (They can sponsor for more if hey wish)  All of the money will then be given to Ronald McDonald House in Bristol.

If we have 15 rockets and each rocket can attract 10 sponsors at £2 each - SURELY WE COULD ACHIEVE THAT -  Ronald McDonald House in Bristol would receive £300.

This is Gene Kranz, he was Flight Director for Apollo 11 when it landed on the moon way back in 1969. I

can remember that, I sat up all night watching black and white images on our old family television set. I saw Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon.

Gene is a special man who had a unique role in the history of mankind.

We now need to find our own Flight Directors, fifteen of you - one for each of our rockets. Once I have been to the university today and taken lots of photographs I will start looking for our flight directors.

Would you like to be one ?