| Colin Pillinger | |
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 At Jodrell Bank in 2009
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| Born | 9 May 1943 Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Fields | Planetary science |
| Institutions | The Open University University of Cambridge |
| Alma mater | University College of Swansea |
| Known for | Beagle 2 |
Colin Trevor Pillinger, CBE, (born in Kingswood, just outside Bristol on 9 May 1943) is a planetary scientist at the Open University in the UK. He was the principal investigator for the British Beagle 2 Mars lander project,
In May 2005 Pillinger was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
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Early life
Pillenger was born on 9 May 1943 in Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, just outside Bristol, England, where he was brought up with his sister who was six years older.[1] His father, Alfred, was a manual worker for the Gas Board and his mother, Florence (née Honour), was a housewife.[1][2] He attended Kingswood Grammar School, and later graduated with a BSc and a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University College of Swansea (now called Swansea University).[1]
Career and recognition
Chronology of qualifications, career, and awards:[1]
- 1965 B.Sc (Chemistry) from University College of Swansea
- 1968 Ph.D (Chemistry) from University College of Swansea
- 1968 Post-doctoral fellow, University of Bristol Department of Chemistry
- 1972 Fellow, Cambridge University
- 1974 Research Associate, Cambridge University
- 1976 Senior Research Associate, Department of Earth Science, University of Cambridge
- 1981 Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
- 1981 member of the British Mass Spectrometry Society
- 1984 Honorary D.Sc (Chemistry) from University of Bristol
- 1984 Senior Research Fellow, Department of Earth Science, Open University
- 1986 Fellow of the Meteoritical Society
- 1991 made Professor of Planetary Sciences at the Open University
- 1993 member of the IAU
- 1993 Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
- 1993 elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
- 1996 - 2000 Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College in the City of London
- 2003 made a CBE
Beagle 2
Regarded as a world-class planetary scientist, Pillinger's first job was for NASA, analysing the lunar samples brought back by Apollo 11;[2] but he is best known for being the principal investigator for the Beagle 2 Mars lander project, part of European Space Agency's (ESA) 2003 Mars Express mission. It was Pillinger's wife who thought of the "Beagle 2" name for the project.[2] The reason for the failure of the mission has not been determined, but an ESA inquiry concluded that "... there were programmatic and organisational reasons that led to a significantly higher risk of Beagle 2 failure, than otherwise might have been the case."[citation needed] However, Pillinger is adamant that the mission was not a failure.[2]
Personal life
Pillinger's wife, Judith, is also a scientist and they met working in the same laboratory.[2] They have a son and a daughter.[1]
After experiencing difficulty with walking for two years, Pillinger was diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis in May 2005.[3] He had a dairy farm, but now he cannot do the physical work that he used to do, such as digging the garden and mucking out the cows.[2] He owns a pet dog and appreciates the welcome and affection it gives.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "Biography". Pillinger's personal website. http://colinpillinger.com/barnstormpr.co.uk/biography.htm. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Desert Island Discs with Colin Pillinger". Desert Island Discs. BBC. Radio 4. 2009-10-25.
- ^ Ghosh, Pallab (2005-07-18). "Red Planet scientist battles MS". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4671941.stm. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
External links
- Official site.
- Beagle 2 - in conversation with Colin Pillinger from a talk at the Royal Society
Video clips
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