ASTRA[1]

The Association in Scotland to Research into Astronautics Ltd., is a spaceflight and astronomical society that holds meetings, events, invited guest speaker lectures, and more, in Glasgow and Airdrie (Scotland), catering for complete beginners, interested amateurs and those with a more academic slant. Our membership is wide ranging across age (from 8 to 80!), gender and expertise. All of us are dedicated to the proposition that the future of humankind lies amongst the stars!

ASTRA is a spaceflight and astronomical educational charity that traces its history back to 1953. ASTRA registered as a charitable company limited by gaurantee in 1976. Its aims are:

"to promote the advancement of knowledge and the spread of education and particularly the dissemination of knowledge on space activities and all branches of science pertaining to such activities, and to stimulate the public interest therein".

ASTRA traces its history back to 1953 when Oscar Schwiglhofer, then a member of the BIS (British Interplanetary Society), started a Scottish branch, leading to great success. This was met with resistance from BIS London and in 1963 the society formally became ASTRA instead as the members had had enough of the BIS in London.

In the 1970s, ASTRA was holding discussion meetings concerning how best to use the resources within the Solar System, for example by mining the asteroids. Out of these discussions, three books were written by Duncan Lunan, part of their sales proceeds going to ASTRA It was decided to make ASTRA a registered charity (in those days, you had also to become a company, which we still are) in order to receive the sales proceeds. Although these books are now out of print, they were translated into numerous languages and sold well in their day.

In 1978, ASTRA saved Airdrie Public Observatory from being scrapped - the previous curators had not taken great care of the observatory and it had suffered badly in a storm. We offered to repair the telescope and drive if the then Monklands District Council would repair the dome. This they duly did and ASTRA has been running the observatory, now on behalf of North Lanarkshire Council, ever since - almost 30 years.

In 2003 we celebrated the 25th anniversary of ASTRA managing Airdrie Public Observatory, and the 50th anniversary of the founding of our Society. And we intend to keep going.

ASTRA webmaster Hendry J Beekman