The Beagle has landed

Space expert who found missing probe to create virtual planet surface

A TRING space whiz, who discovered the missing Beagle Two has revealed how he will be helping scientists to explore ways to send astronauts to Mars.
Guy Rennie, image analyst and managing director of Virtual Analytics, is working on developing unrivalled state of the art technology, which can virtually recreate the surface of Mars.
Imagery taken from a NASA spacecraft as it travels over the red planet, will be used to virtually recreate the planet using sophisticated computer technology.
Scientists and engineers wearing special glasses and electronic gloves, which can move and pick up things, will enter a room, which has special projectors to cover every surface with three-dimensional imagery.
Mr Rennie said: “Once inside it you will soon forget you are inside a visual environment.”
The multi-million pound project will also be able to simulate a space craft entering the atmosphere, showing precisely what will happen when heat shields come off, the parachute deploys and the craft lands. It will help in developing future Mars landings and could be used to develop special environments for astronauts to live in on Mars.
Mr Rennie has teamed up with international company Interteck to set up the technology.
It will be the best in the world and will help make space missions more successful and save millions in helping correct design faults before final products are built.
Mr Rennie said: “When you spend millions and millions of pounds getting something into space you don’t then want to find out it doesn’t work or fit properly.
“It is absolutely critical to plan things out and the capacity we will have next year will help to avoid problems, like the ones we had with Beagle.
“This is going to be a facility that is unrivalled anywhere in the world. It will put Tring on the map.”
Interteck Virtual Analytics has already had talks with a major oil and gas company about how the technology can help them build rigs. Mr Rennie said their equipment could have helped save the company around £600 million in design problems on one of their recent high profile projects.
There is also the possibility of being involved in an oil and gas project in the Middle East.
A dedicated facility will be built for the equipment this year and they expect to be fully operational by the summer.
The location of the site has not been decided yet, but it is expected to be somewhere between Tring and Luton.
Mr Rennie’s recent breakthrough discovery of Beagle Two’s crash landing point in a crater on Mars has had a massive impact on the future of space industry, as some experts thought the £50 million probe had burnt up in the atmosphere or disintegrated on landing.
He was working at his home in Eggleton Drive, when he spotted what is believed to be the area where Beagle Two landed.
Mr Rennie, 37, said: “If the discovery had not been made, there would have been a huge impact on the future of space craft design.
“We have evidence that it landed and if it had
not landed on the side of a crater it would have fully deployed.
“The mission in part was successful and vindicates the whole approach.”
Mr Rennie spent many years living overseas before settling in Tring with his family two years ago.
Before setting up his own business, Virtual Analytics, he worked in military intelligence, where he interpreted spy satellite images for the RAF.
He was part of the official Government inquiry into what went wrong with Beagle Two.
Another spacecraft with a camera fitted is due to reach Mars in spring and by November this year, should be taking photos of the area where the remains of Beagle Two are thought to be.
By this time next year scientists will know for certain if it is the probe.

Youth project

TRING residents are being invited to tell Tring Town Council what they think would be a good youth project for the town.
£10,000 has been earmarked from the town council’s budget to be spent on a fun facility for youngsters. Councillors agreed to put the cash aside for a youth project, before deciding what exactly to spent the cash on.
Now the town’s residents are being asked to send their suggestions for a youth project to the chairman of the town council’s finance and policy committee, John Allan.
Suggestions are only being accepted from people who live in Tring and can be sent to Youth Project ideas, John Allan, 36 Friars Walk, Tring, HP23 4AP or emailed to johnsallan@yahoo.com .

Funny old game

TRING football official Graham Poll has been voted the best referee in the Premiership after topping a national newspaper poll.
Poll, known as 'the thing from Tring', received twice as many thumbs up from footie fans as his nearest rival in the vote organised by the Daily Mail.
25.1 per cent of people taking part felt he was the best referee in top-flight football.
However in the same vote Poll was also ranked sixth worst referee with 8.5 per cent of voters feeling there was room for improvement.

Changes in store as rugby man tries new tactics

A SOLICITOR has transformed his life by swapping the court room for shop life as the new owner of Western Road Newsagents in Tring.
Ex-London Irish rugby player Keith Simpson and Jamaican born wife Sharon moved to Tring from Lincolnshire in September after purchasing the shop. Keith worked in commercial and contract law for 20 years, but decided on the change in career after taking severance pay from his job.
He said: “We initially looked at going into the pub business. We decided it would be a bit unhealthy with a lot of late nights, so we thought we would give this a go.”
Keith deals with the day-to-day managing of the shop while Sharon works as a medical secretary at Central Middlesex Hospital. They bought the newsagents from John Milverton, who had been running the store for 24 years and was due to retire. Tragically he collapsed in the shop and later died in hospital before the sale of the shop had been completed.
Keith, aged 54, said: “I feel the customers have accepted me but it is a hard act to follow, so I have got a job keeping them happy.”
The couple officially took on the shop in September and already Keith has made some of his own changes. He has started to sell foodstuffs in store and is offering a home delivery service, with free delivery to pensioners.
He said: “The fact that Budgens has closed makes it extremely difficult for some elderly people to get to Tesco.”
He has also extended the newspaper delivery service to villages outside of Tring, such as Aston Clinton, Buckland, Drayton Beauchamp and Drayton Holloway.
The dramatic change in lifestyle has suited Keith and Sharon. They chose to settle in Tring because of its perfect position in the heart of the Chilterns. Keith said: “It is quite a nice area right in the heart of the Chilterns, so we have a mixture of rural life and town life as well.
“It is challenging in the sense that it is a different culture and it is totally different.
“When you’re a lawyer, you’re a lawyer for life, but this was something I wanted to try.
“Most of the people from Tring that I have served have accepted me and I have found everybody very friendly and lots of people have given us their best wishes.”
Western Road Newsagents is open
Monday to Saturday from 5.15am to 7pm and
Sundays 5.15am to 4pm. For more information about their newspaper and food delivery service call 01442 824457.

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