ABSTRACT
It’s Launch Day. In just a few hours I’ll find out if my scientific career is about to move into high gear, or if my future will end up in pieces on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
I start early, waiting for a taxi to take me to Bush House, home of the BBC World Service. Across the UK and Europe other astronomers working on the Herschel and Planck satellites are doing the same. We’re all getting media appearances out of the way before heading to wherever we can watch a live feed of the satellites’ launch. After my interview, I’ll be going to the Rutherford Appleton Lab near Oxford, where the UK Herschel and Planck teams are gathering with visiting dignitaries and members of the media.
