Today turned out to be a hidden gem in the schedule for this past week! I had signed up for the visit to UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory not knowing what to expect. We had to wake up a bit early today since the journey took us about an hour and a half outside of London to Surrey to a lab that belongs to the University College of London. What I really enjoyed about today was the opportunity to see some of the classic English countryside on the bus ride! The lab itself had actually been converted from an old summer mansion that had once belonged to the Guinness Family (the ones from associated with the beer).
We heard a lecture on some of the latest space projects that were in progress and what the science lab was all about. It was a great introduction to the engineering side of space technology for research. If I got my fact straight, I believe that there were over 130 people currently working at that laboratory and a couple of PhD students even came out and introduced us to exoplanet discovery. Next we toured the facility where devices for use in satellites, rovers, and many other items. Much of their experimental equipment were designed, proposed, built, and tested at that lab. Very cool stuff.
After the ride back we hurried to dinner before dressing up and heading off to watch “The Phantom of the Opera” a musical performed at Her Majesty’s Theatre! An incredible, moving performance. Afterwards we treated ourselves to snog, a fantastic frozen yogurt shop!
