In early Novemer 2013 in Colchester, Essex just north east of London there was a gathering of hundreds of Astronomy fans at Starfest 3. Hosted by the North Essex Astronomical Society, its the third astronomical convention held in the Colchester Institute and which has continually grown since its inception.
What’s not apparent from the title is that NEAS event was also a gathering of Space enthusiasts too. The key speaker for the day was Alan Bond of Reaction Engines Ltd (and Daedalus) fame, who gave a presentation on REL’s Skylon, and other exhibitors included the British Astronomical Society, Terry Regan of Project Icarus with his models and the Institute for Interstellar Studies.
For those who may not be aware Icarus Interstellar Director, Rob Swinney, is a director of the Institute for Interstellar Studies too, a UK based organisation also dedicated to interstellar flight. While invited to Starfest 3 as a representative of I4IS, Rob was able to take some time to represent Icarus and attracted a lot attention using the displays from the recent Project Icarus workshop (held in London in October).
So we held pride of place amongst the space artists, photographers and telescope retailers, alongside Terry’s fantastic models of various spaceprobes, the British Interplanetary Society and Reaction Engines Ltd who were also represented in the exhibitors hall.
You can read more about the day at http://www.interstellarindex.com/2013/11/09/the-institute-at-starfest-3/