Jerry Stone FBIS FRAS

I have presented lectures on space exploration for 40 years, having given my first talk on space when I was at school, and I have held exhibitions since 1975, using items from my extensive collection of space material.

Whilst studying at what is now the University of Hertfordshire, I was elected chairman of the Astronomical Society.  Later I was appointed Director of European Exhibitions for the United States Space Education Association and President of the European Space Promotion Organisation.

In the 1980's, I was a member of the curatorial staff at the Science Museum in London, where I was responsible for the Astronomy, Space and Exploration galleries, which included the Apollo 10 Command Module.

I have been on radio and TV in Britain; I was interviewed on radio in America and on TV in Romania, where they broadcast my video footage of the 1999 total eclipse.  In 2004 I was interviewed on radio for the Transit of Venus and on Sky News when the Expedition 10 crew reached the International Space Station.
I have visited space centres and museums in Moscow, The Netherlands, Washington, Alabama and in Florida, where I have witnessed launches from Cape Canaveral.  I have stood on the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building and in the flame trench at the shuttle launch pad, so I have literally visited Kennedy Space Centre from top to bottom!

These various activities have led to me becoming known as The Urban Spaceman!

Current positions and affiliations :

-  Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society

-  Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society

-  Director of the Mars Society UK

-  Director of the Sir Arthur Clarke Awards

-  Chair of the Space Education Council

-  Promoter of UK For Aurora

-  STEMNET Science & Engineering Ambassador

-  Chairman of the Letchworth and District Astronomical Society

-  Member of the Society for Popular Astronomy

I give presentations on space all over the UK and abroad.  Venues have included the British Festival of Space, Oxford University, the Edinburgh Festival, the House of Commons and the Mars Society's conferences in Colorado and across Europe.
In have also presented an 8-part evening course on Space Exploration at the University of Hertfordshire.

I held my first public exhibition on space exploration in 1975.  From November 2003 to January 2004 I held a major exhibition marking the centenary of powered flight;  "From the Wright Brothers to the International Space Station".  This was the only event outside the United States to be officially recognised by NASA.

In June 2004 I set up the "UK For Aurora" programme, a campaign to increase public awareness and support for UK involvement in this long-term European Space Agency programme.  In October 2004, when Lord Sainsbury announced a £5million interim payment for the project, he cited public support from the campaign as being a contributing factor towards the decision.

In 2005 I established the Sir Arthur Clarke Awards, designed to recognise and reward the best of UK space achievement.  I organised the nomination and judging procedures and set up the judging panel, which is comprised of many of the top names from the UK space community.  I present the awards at the annual UK Space Conference.

I was co-organiser of the Mars Society's 2005 European Conference, which had the widest international participation to date, with delegates from the UK, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Canada, the USA and Australia.

I am now a freelance presenter on astronomy and space exploration, offering public talks and workshops for schools and youth organisations.  Please see the other pages on this site for further details.  I travel all over the UK, and presented a public space lecture tour of Northern Ireland during National Science Week in 2007.

I have spoken at various venues, including:
- The British Festival of Space
- The Edinburgh Festival
- The Farnborough Air Show
- The Mars Society Conferences in the UK, belgium, France, The Netherlands and the USA
- Oxford University
- The Palace of Westminster
- The Royal Institution
- The Royal Observatory, Greenwich

I am also the author of a book commemorating the first men on the Moon. Called "One Small Step", it is presented as a young space enthusiast's scrap-book. Sir Patrick Moore has said it is "Marvellous" and in August 2009 I gave a presentation based on the book at the Edinburgh Festival.

I write the Space Exploration pages for "Popular Astronomy", the magazine of the Society for Popular Astronomy

Part of my aim is to inspire students to follow careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, for the young people of today will be those who are involved in the projects of tomorrow.