Young Ambassadors Programme

Gerry Griffin
Gerry joined NASA in 1964 as a Gemini flight controller – specialising in guidance and navigation systems.
In 1968 he became an Apollo flight director and served in that role for all of the Apollo manned missions.
He was lead flight director for three lunar landing missions: Apollo’s 12, 15 and 17.  After Apollo Gerry served as the deputy director of the Dryden (now Armstrong) Flight Research Center and the Kennedy Space Center before returning to Johnson Space Center as director.
During the flight of Apollo 13 Gerry was scheduled to lead the lunar landing team in Mission Control.  When the landing was cancelled as a result of the oxygen tank explosion, he led one of the teams of flight controllers who were responsible for the safe return of the astronauts.
Gerry was a technical advisor for the movies Apollo 13, Contact, Deep Impact and Apollo 18.

MajorTim.space Young Ambassador Megan Nicholson – Pasta Baker 2.0

MajorTim.space Young Ambassador Thomas Nyman – Healthy Tech Chair

MajorTim.space Young Ambassador Florence Dowrick – Spikey thing

MajorTim.space Young Ambassador Myle Ali Faraz -Useless Bowling Machine

MajorTim.space Young Ambassador Eva Raghavendra – Magician Dress

Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats
Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats is the only registered charity in the UK who care solely for the welfare of goats – they rescue abandoned, abused and neglected goats – plus, helping animals in need of a new home because their owners can no longer care for them. They educate the public about goat welfare nationwide – providing them with accurate knowledge. The Patron of the Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats is Ann Widdecombe.

MajorTim.space 2021-2022 Young Ambassadors, Emily & Myle designed a space patch which is going to the ISS as part of the MicroAge Mission by the University of Liverpool.

The KUBIK Incubator on the ISS contains a centrifuge and the experiment will examine the contraction of muscle constructs exposed to microgravity or artificial gravity induced by centrifugation.

Computers play such a big role in our lives that it’s important to know how they were invented and modified to be what they are today.

The first computer is said to have been invented between 1833 and 1871 by a man named Charles Babbage. He dedicated about forty years of his life to computers and invented a machine called the Analytical Engine, which was programmed by punch cards and could solve calculations.
A good friend of Charles was a lady named Ada Lovelace who was inspired by Charles and worked with him. Lovelace recognised what the Analytical Engine was capable of. She is seen as the world’s first computer programmer.
In the early 1900’s, computers used mechanical or electrical systems to perform computations, for example, wheel and disk mechanisms.  Around the time of the Second World War, these progressed to machines where electrical switches drove mechanical devices to perform calculations and the binary system of numbers was used, making computers easier to build and more reliable. These electromechanical mechanisms were soon replaced by purely electronic circuits.
The era of modern computers is widely believed to have been started in 1936 by Alan Turing, from London. He had the idea of storing a program in the computer’s memory. He died young, committing suicide after being treated badly for being gay. Computers at that time were large devices that required specialist users.
Personal computers for non-experts to use at home were developed in the 1970’s. A firm called MITS made the first personal computer and then other companies like Apple, Commodore and IBM began to sell their own versions.
Advances in operating systems and computer circuits have since meant faster, more powerful and smaller home computers.
In fact computers now are everyday objects, in the form of smartphones.

By MajorTim.space 2021-2022 Young Ambassador, Seren Shaw (age 12)

LetterBox Lab
Letterbox Lab provide science kits for kids which have been reinvented to be more fun, more colourful, more convenient and more educational than ever before.

Developed by two passionate science fans who have dedicated a decade to engaging the public with science – their science kits inspire young people to play with scientific ideas and make hundreds of discoveries in their living rooms.

Ruth Amos
Ruth is an inventor, presenter and co-founder of YouTube channel Kids Invent Stuff, aimed at inspiring the next generation of inventors and engineers, by bringing their inventions to life. From custard firing superhero suits, flaming pianos and Slime firing cars – Ruth and Shawn bring to life kid’s inventions.

An award winning engineer and is passionate about making and STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Maths), co-running the #girlswithdrills campaign around inclusive making.