shearwater

Just a quick thankyou to all the dealers and exhibitors too: on a quiet day in London, it was good to browse the stands and chat to them all. I expect their takings were well down, so I hope that doesn't put them off from attending A13: the shows wouldn't take place without their support!

Know what? If the Astronauts / Cosmonauts were of the right calibre I bet the attendance would be huge! Add some pilots etc and pick a smaller, less expensive venue and an Aerospace Only convention could be a winner! My wishlist? Rusty Schweickart Charlie Duke Valentina Tereshkova Dick Gordon Walt Cunningham Helen Sharman Sally Ride Edgar Mitchell

With under a week to go, I s'pose that's it for any further announcements.... Interesting to reflect (given the somewhat depleted list of aviation / astronaut guests) on who might still be available / alive by next April! Schweikart? Duke? Worden? Hmmmmm.......

Oh heck: that's just lousy news. If he's ill: fair enough. If not.....

As a Cockney by birth: the word you want is SOVS (As in 'sovereigns'!)

No disrespect: but to be honest there are plenty of UK autograph shows to catch up with minor TV, film & sports celebrities. Autographica is the ONLY venue in Europe (and, perhaps, in the world!) where you can chat with people who have actually walked on the Moon or navigated a Lancaster for 617 Sqdn in the same room! Sorry! I stand corrected! Capt Lovell was very generous with his time, but I was stuck behind my stand most of the weekend! http://www.thespace-station.com/Lovell%20DB.jpg

Capt Lovell's charges last time: Single signature including one mission £75 and each extra mission £5 3-D items £100 Gemini Completion items £125 Apollo Completion items £150 I don't think he did posed photos, but he was very accessible in the 'Astronaut Room' on the Sunday pm! David Bryant www.thespace-station.com

Well: just another stunning line-up! Mitchell, Moore, Carr & Brand were exciting enough, but Scott & Lovell too? Wow! Knowing Jason & Dave, I bet there's more to come!

Another excellent guest! Apollo-Soyuz and three Shuttle missions! Get out those Leonov autos!

Get in! A real addition to the list! Jerry is a real coup: not just because of his Skylab exploits, but also his two Capcom gigs! And good old George Johnson again! He was at Duxford last weekend: what a great guy! (And he was only charging a tenner too!)

As I said before, go away and research the period objectively. And that does not mean ask your dad. That means go and read a book. Good luck with that advice! This Gidda dude has no concept of spelling or grammar: I doubt he's read anything other than the TV Times and Viz since he left school!

Quote from 'Gidda 1974' (See above!) "shows how much you know then isnt it,as i was around during the thatcher years and been employed for 18 years being ripped off in taxes so dont even go there with this crap!!" I don't really know why I'm replying, but here we go: * Your personal details say you were born in 1974 * Margaret Thatcher's premiership ran from 1979 to 1990 (ie: when you were aged from 5 to 16) * You therefore were NOT unemployed / ripped off / paying taxes for 18 years of Mrs Thatcher's 11 year premiership. If you can't make more intelligent, better-researched comments, without resorting to bad language, I should go and play somewhere else!

LOL! Your 'informed' political opinions being based upon your personal experiences between the ages of 5 and 16?

As the years roll by, we probably need to accept that Mercury / Gemini / Apollo Astros are going to become less likely to attend UK events, sadly.... How about some of the early Shuttle pioneers? Hoot Gibson Bob Crippen Rick Hauck Joe Engle Story Musgrave Steve Hawley etc etc These guys would all be fantastic to meet, IMHO! David Bryant www.thespace-station.com

And I'd love to post some, but 'the computer says no!' So how do I get these 'permissions'? I have a cracker of me with my teenage heart-throb Jennie Linden.... David

Totally mutual! Glad you had a good Autographica! There is NOTHING like it in the UK! And your autos were to DIE for! If only I were as rich as Paul Williams..... LOL! David & Linda www.thespace-station.com

Linda & I thoroughly enjoyed the venue, the drinks reception, the show, our room and all the friends old and new that dropped by 'The Space Station'. As veggies, we were really pleased with the meal on Saturday night: scrummy! And Molly was a wonderful dinner companion! To those of you who haven't been to an Autographica event, I would just say: you really should try to attend in October at Heathrow or next year back at the Metropole! Thanks Jason & Dave: you're stars! David Bryant, www.thespace-station.com

We know that, do we? LOL! Recent events would suggest otherwise!

From a personal perspective: the Gala Dinner is my favourite aspect of the weekend. Meeting the Astronauts at the reception is brilliant! At A10, the guys were accessible and relaxed; then, after the actual dinner, Al Worden & Al Bean's Q&As were just incredible (As was George Johnson's: very moving!) My wife & I sat next to Sally Thomsett, who was just the best dinner companion! She kept asking me if I wanted her roast potatoes "....being such a big guy!" LOL!

When you get right down to it: only 12 people have walked on the Moon: three of them have passed away, one of them won't sign, several others are pretty difficult.... £95 seems pretty good for someone who's achieved all that David Scott has. I reckon it's the other way round: to me, the Russians and Jim McDivitt are real bargains David Bryant www.thespace-station.com