Fifty Years in Space - a Software Perspective: British Computer Society Lecture at Surrey
Wednesday 23 April 2008
The next lecture of the Guildford Branch of the British Computer Society (BCS) will be held on Thursday 24th April 2008, at 19:45 for 20:00, in Lecture Theatre E. Pat Norris of Logica will review the synergy between space and ICT during the first 50 years of the space age.
Fifty Years in Space - a Software Perspective
Pat Norris MBCS, Logica and Chairman of the RAeS Space Group
Since the launch of Sputnik 50 years ago (October 4th 1957), the space age has helped push the boundaries of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT). In the 1960s, the two main space applications were military surveillance and lunar exploration, both of which demanded more computing and communications capability than was available. Space projects still stretch what ICT can deliver, for example in monitoring global climate changes and in missile defence.
This lecture will review the synergy between space and ICT during the first 50 years of the space age (based on the author's 40+ years involvement in both sectors) and draw some conclusions for the future.