By Heather Cichowski
The Queen celebrating British Science Week with a video call to British scientists, educators and schoolchildren. This was her first sight since Prince Harry and Duchess Meghanmain interview with Oprah Winfrey on 7 March and followed her report afterwards on 9 March. British Science Week, which is 10 days, is a celebration of all things STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).
Her Majesty heard about some of the historical times in the UK in science and technology, and shared her personal connection with a few. The 94-year-old also found out about today’s developments. For example, the Queen was shown the latest updates from NASA’s Mars Perseverance 2020 rover by Professor
Caroline Smith from the Natural History Museum. The main goal of the space mission is to look for evidence of past life on Mars.
The Queen was enthralled, as many of us have seen pictures of the mission. She said, “It’s interesting to see the pictures of Mars – it’s unbelievable, really, to think that anyone can see its surface!” .
In addition, Her Majesty was recently shown a picture of a British meteorite that landed near Gloucester about a week before the video call.
In another section of the call,
Dr. Maggie Aderin Pocock MBE, British space scientist and educator, and co-presenter The Sky at Night, told she was inspired to become a space scientist because of a Russian cosmonaut and pilot Yuri Gagarin, the first person to travel into space. Its capsule, Vostok 1, completed one orbit of Earth on April 12, 1961.
Her Majesty, as well
Prince Philip, he met Yuri after his historic visit to Buckingham Palace and the Queen shared personal news about him during the call from 10 March.
Russian cosmonaut Major Yuri Gagarin waves to the crowd outside the Soviet embassy after leaving for an informal lunch with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in July 1961. Photo: © PA Photos through Getty Images
“It was very interesting to meet him,” recalled the monarch. “And I believe it was the first one, it was particularly interesting.”
Maggie replied, “It must have been awful to be like the first one, and not know what was going to happen!”
“Well, yes – and if you could come back. That’s very important!” Quipped the monarch.
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In another to mark British Science Week, pupils from Thomas Jones Primary School in London joined the call to discuss their acceptance of distance learning during the year.
corona-virus pandemic. Pupils also demonstrated their “rocket mouse” test for the monarch. During the experiment students scrubbed a bottle to launch a “rocket mouse” in the air.
“Very successful,” said the doting grandmother.
“Great!” the Queen posted after another demo.
Overall, The Queen said the event was very interesting and thanked everyone for their efforts.
“Well it’s been a very interesting morning, thank you very much. And it’s an amazing job you’re all doing,” she said. “It is a great pleasure to see you all.”
In honor of the call, the Queen was presented with a set of Mars Perseverance rover face masks, sent from NASA headquarters to Windsor Castle, where the Queen currently resides.
In February 1961, The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Edward, and Princess Anne met with Colonel Frank Borman, one of the three American astronauts orbiting the moon, and his wife Susan, at Buckingham Palace. Photo: © PA Photos via Getty Images
Professor Smith requested that one of the masks be given to Prince Philip, due to his keen interest in space exploration. The Duke of Edinburgh is still in King Edward VII Hospital. it was transferred back to London hospital last week after sinking “a successful procedure for a pre-existing heart condition” at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital.
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