Jodrell Bank now and the future

[proflight2000]

I did one of my usual jaunts this weekend to top up my hobby of aircraft number collecting at Manchester airport. Being pretty cold I decided to travel back to my travelodge mouse house, however as I came off junction 18 of the M6 I saw signs for Jodrell bank, a huge great Astronomical telescope dish which can be seen from the motorway. I dont know if anyone has ever been there but if you have not, well you should. It is not the most modern tourist establishment I have ever been too, but to be honest all I wanted to see that day was the huge Lovell dish, it seems it is so powerful it can pick up a mobile phone on the surface of mars. The dish etc, belong to the University of Manchester astronomy and partical physics department.

Unlike many tourist places, Jodrell bank allows you to walk around the actual base area of the dish itself, I got some nice pics which I will try and load sometime. Anyways, good news for those up north, Jodrell bank is set to be given a £3,000,000 facelift, inclusing a new space and science area, a state of the art modern planitarium, and a brand new visitors center. So keep your eyes peeled. Jodrell bank can be reached from Junction 18 of the M6 motorway (6 miles) just follow the road signs. Entry to the visitos center is £1.50 and parking is free. You dont need to pay to walk around the base of the dish. Picnic areas etc, very nice day out in warmer climbs.

[Macavity]

Good to hear! I guess a few times from the mid '60s onwards, I had visited Jodrell Bank - Worthwhile, even back then. And I must have passed it, on the Manchester-Crewe line, an incalculable number of times! LOL. As a kid, I used to live RIGHT under the approach to "Runway Two-Four", so plane spotting and a VHF set were almost obligatory? Now in the past and (relatively) far away, but nice to be reminded of happy times and continuing progress...