Colin Pillinger

Colin Pillinger
Colin Pillinger

Born 9 May 1943 (1943-05-09) (age 68)
Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, England
Nationality British
Fields Planetary science
Institutions The Open University
University of Cambridge
Alma mater University College of Swansea
Known for Beagle 2

Colin Trevor Pillinger, CBE, (born in Kingswood, just outside Bristol on 9 May 1943) is a planetary scientist at the Open University in the UK. He was the principal investigator for the British Beagle 2 Mars lander project, and has done much work studying a group of Martian meteorites.[1]

In May 2005 Pillinger was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Contents

Early life

Pillinger was born on 9 May 1943 in Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, just outside Bristol, England, where he was brought up with his sister who was six years older.[2] His father, Alfred, was a manual worker for the Gas Board and his mother, Florence (née Honour), was a housewife.[2][3] He attended Kingswood Grammar School, and later graduated with a BSc and a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University College of Swansea (now called Swansea University).[2]

Career and recognition

Beagle 2

Pillinger's first job was for NASA, analysing the lunar samples brought back by Apollo 11;[3] but he is best known for being the principal investigator for the Beagle 2 Mars lander project, part of European Space Agency's (ESA) 2003 Mars Express mission. It was Pillinger's wife who thought of the "Beagle 2" name for the project.[3] The reason for the failure of the mission has not been determined, but an ESA inquiry concluded that "... there were programmatic and organisational reasons that led to a significantly higher risk of Beagle 2 failure, than otherwise might have been the case."[citation needed] However, Pillinger is adamant that the mission was not a failure.[3]

Asteroid

Main belt asteroid 15614 Pillinger was named after Pillinger.

Speaking career

Pillinger works as a conference and after-dinner speaker for the JLA agency.[4]

Personal life

Pillinger's wife, Judith, is also a scientist and they met working in the same laboratory.[3] They have a son and a daughter.[2]

After experiencing difficulty with walking for two years, Pillinger was diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis in May 2005.[5] He owned a dairy farm, but his illness prevented him from doing physical work on the farm, such as digging the ground and mucking out the cows.[3] He owns a pet dog and appreciates the welcome and affection it gives.[3]

Awards

Chronology of qualifications, career, and awards:[2]

Bibliography

See also

References

  1. ^ Michael Hanlon (2004). The real Mars. Basic Books. pp. 166. ISBN 978-1405036399. 
  2. ^ a b c d e "Biography". Pillinger's personal website. http://colinpillinger.com/barnstormpr.co.uk/biography.htm. Retrieved 30 October 2009. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Desert Island Discs with Colin Pillinger". Desert Island Discs. BBC. Radio 4. 2009-10-25.
  4. ^ http://www.jla.co.uk/after-dinner-speakers/colin-pillinger
  5. ^ Ghosh, Pallab (2005-07-18). "Red Planet scientist battles MS". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4671941.stm. Retrieved 2009-10-30. 
  6. ^ "Books". Colin Pillinger. http://colinpillinger.com/barnstormpr.co.uk/books.htm. Retrieved 18 October 2010. 

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Colin (given name) — Colin Pronunciation /ˈkɒlɨn/, occasionally /ˈkoʊlɨn/ Origin Meaning Various meanings including young pup , whelp , cub , victorious people , dark , dove Colin is a male given name. Colin i …   Wikipedia

  • Beagle 2 — Infobox Spacecraft Name = Beagle 2 Caption = Beagle 2 as it would have looked on Mars Organization = ESA Major Contractors = Mission Type = Lander Satellite Of = Mars Orbital Insertion Date = December 25, 2003 Launch = June 2 2003 Launch Vehicle …   Wikipedia

  • Beagle 2 — Replika Beagle 2 war die Landeeinheit der Mars Express Mission der Europäischen Weltraumorganisation (ESA). Sie wurde unter der Leitung von britischen Universitäten entwickelt und konstruiert. Beagle 2 ist wahrscheinlich in der Nacht vom 24.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Beagle Two — Beagle 2 war die Landeeinheit der Mars Express Mission der Europäischen Weltraumorganisation (ESA). Sie wurde unter der Leitung von britischen Universitäten entwickelt und konstruiert. Beagle 2 ist wahrscheinlich in der Nacht vom 24. Dezember auf …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bristol — This article is about the British city. For other uses, see Bristol (disambiguation). Bristol   Unitary, Ci …   Wikipedia

  • Пиллинджер, Колин — Колин Пиллинджер Colin Pillinger …   Википедия

  • Beagle 2 — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Beagle (homonymie). Beagle 2 était un atterrisseur qui devait se poser sur la planète Mars le 25 décembre 2003. Il y a été porté à bord de la sonde Mars Express, lancée le 2 juin 2003, et s en est… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Beagle II — Beagle 2 Pour les articles homonymes, voir Beagle (homonymie). Beagle 2 était un atterrisseur qui devait se poser sur la planète Mars le 25 décembre 2003. Il y a été porté à bord de la sonde Mars Express, lancée le 2 juin 2003, et s en… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Beagle 3 — Le projet Beagle 2: Evolution Beagle 3 (appelé également Beagle 2 Evolution) était un projet de mission spatiale martienne prenant la forme d un atterrisseur ayant pour objectif de rechercher la vie sur Mars, présente ou passée. Beagle 3 était le …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Beagle 2 — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Beagle 2 Organización Agencia Espacial Europea Principales desarrolladores …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”