Publisher's Synopsis
Space Has No Frontier: Thrilling Biography Chronicles Life of Sir Bernard Lovell - Britain's Unsung Wartime & Space HeroMeticulously researched by a personal friend of Sir Bernard Lovell, John Bromley-Davenport, 'Space Has No Frontier: The terrestrial life and times of Sir Bernard Lovell' tells the remarkable story of one of the UK's most influential, intelligent and legendary physicists, and the father of radio astronomy. While predominantly known as the first Director of Jodrell Bank Observatory (1945 to 1980), Lovell was also a saviour of WWII, the Space Race, Cold War, the moon landings and was played an important role in preventing Britain from nuclear attack. From his early years studying physics to his development of the Jodrell Bank telescopes that stand to this day, still at the forefront of research into Space and the origins of the Universe, Lovell had a life that has clearly etched itself into the history books.Bernard Lovell was a quiet and unassuming man but was nevertheless an epic figure in British wartime and scientific history; not only as the father of radio astronomy but also for his his vital work on radar during the Second World War and his pivotal roles in everything from the Space Race and the Moon landings to the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis.In his new book, 'Space Has No Frontier: The Terrestrial Life and Times of Bernard Lovell', Bromley-Davenport unravels Lovell's life with illuminating fascination and curiosity.Bernard Lovell was born in 1913 and his story encompasses many of the great events of last hundred years: the Second World War, the invention of radio astronomy, the space race, the Moon landings, the exploration of the Solar System, the Cold War, the Cuban missile crisis and the defence of Britain against nuclear attack. "He ranks as one of the great visionary leaders of science," Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, said of him. Sir Patrick Moore described him as "The Isaac Newton of radio astronomy." The Jodrell Bank Observatory and the Lovell Telescope have held their place at the frontier of research for over sixty years. This book seeks to explore succinctly and accessibly Lovell's life and achievements in the scientific and political context of the time. His legacy remains great, as can be seen from the extensive media coverage and personal tributes that his death in 2012 attracted all over the world. Lovell was much more than a dry old scientist. He was a very fine cricketer, a superb musician and organist, a great communicator a brilliant gardener and a wonderful family. Truly he was a man for all seasons. This biography is sure to have a broad and timely interest. "I knew Lovell and his amazing wife for many years," explains the author. "If you passed him in the street you wouldn't know who he was, even though, without his contributions to science, you likely wouldn't be alive today. I wanted to chronicle his life so as to get to the essence of an extraordinary man, and also cut through the science to tell his story so any layperson can understand it. You need no scientific knowledge to read and appreciate the text - it's just an honest account of a man's life; a man who changed the course of British history for the better. He did this all while remaining successful in many other areas of life, including music, cricket, gardening, dendrology and more."Continuing, "He was a true renaissance man in every sense of the phrase, and his Lovell telescope remains at the forefront of research seven decades on. seven decades later. It's a fixture of the Cheshire landscape and now anyone can find out the true story behind it. On the 7th July 2019, the observatory became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which would have made Lovell immensely proud. I'm so proud that his work and influence lives on, and hope this book plays its part in keeping his story alive."
