Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart, theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili and science-comedy phenomenon Festival of the Spoken Nerd have joined the all-star Space Shambles show, which comes to the Royal Albert Hall in June.
This irresistible collision of comedy, science and music, from comic Robin Ince and Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, will be a headline event at the venue’s inaugural Festival of Science, which focuses on all things space.
Robin said: “In the last few years, it seems the excitement of space exploration has infected a mass of people like benevolent alien spores. One of the main reasons for this new excitement is Commander Chris Hadfield who introduced so many people to the ways of life in space, but not Life on Mars as he chose to cover Space Oddity instead.
“This show, with astronauts, scientists, musicians and comedians will be a jubilant celebration of human beings reaching out further and journeying further to the stars.”
Rusty Schweickart (I'm assured that's him in the picture) joined NASA in October 1963, alongside 13 other astronauts selected in the agency’s third intake, and served as the lunar module pilot for Apollo 9 in March 1969, logging 241 hours in space and conducting the first test of the portable life support backpack used during Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s subsequent lunar surface explorations.
A former U. S. Air Force fighter pilot, Rusty’s subsequent career has included founding the Association of Space Explorers – the international professional society of astronauts and cosmonauts – serving as backup commander for the first Skylab mission, in 1973, and establishing the B612 Foundation, which is dedicated to defending Earth from asteroid impacts.
Robin said of Rusty: “The story of human beings landing on the Moon is one of the greatest stories of human ambition and ingenuity. To have one of the people that made looking back on our own planet from this rocky terrain possible is a pure delight.”
He’ll be joined at Space Shambles by Jim Al-Khalili, the British scientist, author and broadcaster. A professor of physics at the University of Surrey, Jim also holds a chair in the Public Engagement in Science, and is the host of The Life Scientific on BBC Radio 4.
Also confirmed are the Festival of the Spoken Nerd, the science-comedy phenomenon comprising stand-up mathematician Matt Parker, experiments maestro Steve Mould and geek songstress Helen Arney. Their show mixes “astonishing science with statistically significant comedy, plus experiments that electrify their audiences – sometimes literally”.
Lucy Noble, Artistic Director at the Royal Albert Hall, said: “We’re very excited to announce three great names for this unique one-off show in June. Space Shambles is an hilarious, uproarious and fascinating mixture of science, comedy and music, and these very special guests represent some of the most important – and entertaining – voices from across those worlds.
“Numerous other big-name artists will also be taking part, but we’re keen to keep a big part of the show under wraps until the night itself. It’s going to be an incredible evening.”
The Festival of Science: Space comprises more than 20 events across four spaces, including Films in Concert presentations of Star Trek, Star Trek Beyond and Close Encounters of the Third Kind in the 5,200-seater auditorium, with music performed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, who also star in Space Spectacular, a major classical concert featuring music by Holst, Strauss and John Williams.
Space Shambles is at the Royal Albert Hall on June 15. For tickets, priced £9 to £60, go to www.royalalberthall.com
