ASTRA

History

portwin@easynet.co.uk

Jan. 27. 'DISPUTATION. A number of reasoned objections to the present ideas on space flight will be put forward and will be countered by members of the Branch in the form of a debate.'

Mar. 2. A.E. Roy, 'Moons of the Solar System'.

Mar. 23. P.H. Tanner, 'Spaceship Engineering' (originally scheduled for March 30).

June 22. Branch Business Meeting, postponed from Apr. 27.

Later in 1956. Andrew Nimmo of the First Glasgow Scout Troop contacts Philip Tanner about having a space exhibit at Glasgow Boy Scouts' exhibition in 1957.

After this there are no records of Scottish Branch meetings until Oct. 1957, but Archie Roy recalls that they were hosted by a Professor Alexander Stewart, of the then Royal College of Science & Technology (now Strathclyde University), at his home in Queen Margaret Drive. Prof. Stewart afterwards retired and moved to Lesmahagow.

Nov. Oscar visits Largs to research the life of 19th century astronomer Sir Thomas Brisbane. After the founding of ASTRA's Ayrshire Branch in Largs in 1981, John Bonsor and Ron Williams pursued the same enquiry as a private project; the Ayrshire branch held a very successful meteor watch in the walled garden of Brisbane's estate, and had 'the Three Sisters', the sighting pillars for Brisbane's telescopes, photographed from the air during an archeoastronomy flight for which I was organiser.