Mullard Space Science Laboratory

P R E S S  R E L E A S E

03 May 2005
REF: MSSL3505

Mayor of Guildford Visits Space Science lab.

Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) was honoured this week to receive a visit from the Mayor of Guildford, Cllr Keith Taylor. During the Mayor's year in office he has been leading a technology initiative, choosing youth and technology as his mayoral theme.

The Mayor's interest in MSSL was sparked on a visit to MSSL's annual science fesitval which is held during National Science Week in March. He was so impressed by the space research and by the way the scientists were able to communicate complicated ideas to schools and the general public that he requested a visit to the laboratory to learn more.


Gary Davison explains precision soldering techniques.

Set in the beautiful Surrey Hills, MSSL is home to 150 space scientists who design, build and test space instrumentation as well as conducting research into areas including black holes, the planets and our Sun. It provides a valuable resource to the local community in communicating science, as well as being a world leader in space research.

The visit was hosted by former Director of MSSL, Professor Len Culhane. The Mayor was introduced to the history of the laboratory, the scientific workshops and the cryogenic labs where scientists build detectors whch operate at temperatures lower than -273 degrees C.

 

LMG.


Notes to Editors:

 

Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL

MSSL is situated in Holmbury St Mary between Dorking and Guildford, and is the Space and Climate Physics Department of University College London. The Group moved from London to Holmbury St Mary in 1965 after Holmbury House was purchased with funds donated by the Mullard electronics company. 150 scientists work at MSSL across 5 groups; solar and stellar physics, planetary and plasma physics, astrophysics, detector physics and climate physics. The laboratory houses world-class facilities to design, build and test instrumentation as well as analyse the data taken by the instruments in space.

 

Contacts

Dr Lucie Green
Mullard Space Science Laboratory
Tel: 01483 204100 (Switchboard)
Email: lmg@mssl.ucl.ac.uk

Martin de la Nougerede
Mullard Space Science Laboratory
Tel 01483 204100 (Switchboard)
Email: mdn@mssl.ucl.ac.uk