Meet R2D2, author Lucy Hawking, and the Teds in Space team at PhysicsFest

There’s a packed programme which kicks off with ‘A Cosmic Treasure Hunt’ – a lecture aimed at those 8 and over by author and journalist Lucy Hawking. Lucy’s first children’s book, ‘George’s Secret Key to the Universe’ was co-written with her father Stephen Hawking and published in 2008. It invited readers to discover the mysteries of physics, science and the universe through the eyes of ‘George’ and his friends. Lucy’s lecture will be based on her follow-up to this bestseller published earlier this year and again, co-written with her father.  'George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt' follows George at Space Camp in America where he discovers a mysterious riddle that sends him on an action-packed, rollercoaster trail across the universe, involving Martian sunsets, far-distant star systems and a dangerous enemy.

Lucy says: “I’m thrilled to be doing an event at PhysicsFest this weekend. I love doing things in Cambridge and I think it's going to be a fantastic event.”

Cambridge University Spaceflight will be on site helping visitors build space probes and testing their durability as they launch them from rockets. The student society hit the headlines last year when, working with a group of local schoolchildren, they sent four teddy bears into inner space on payloads carrying tiny cameras – creating the fantastic images pictured.

Other make-and-do activities that physics enthusiasts will be able to get to grips with include 3-d constellation building, gravity propelled space buggies, and reading and navigating the night sky.

There’ll also be free planetarium shows in an indoor inflatable planetarium and Cambridge Hands On Science group (Chaos) will be demonstrating and engaging visitors in experiments on the physics of the Universe.

For Star Wars fans, R2D2 will be dropping in and rubbing shoulders with the robot ‘Bridget’ created by Astrium – Europe’s number one provider of space transportation, satellite systems. The company will be exhibiting alongside Green Witch telescope and binocular specialists. There’ll also be an opportunity to take a virtual tour of the Universe with Lisa Jardine-Wright’s ‘Rough Guide to the Universe’ lecture.

Finally, of special interest to teachers, there’ll be drop-in sessions run by Ally Davies, the Physics Teacher Network Coordinator on how to use the "National Schools Observatory" including the opportunity to use images from research class telescopes in La Palma.

All in all, it will be a packed afternoon of activity at the Cavendish Laboratory from 2 til 5pm. The event is free and there is no need to book in advance. Parking is available at the Cambridge Park and Cycle off Clerk Maxwell Road and at the Park and Ride on Madingley Road.