Town's £3.5m slice in space (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Town's £3.5m slice in space

A SWINDON research council has recruited a team of top UK space scientists to help realise the dream of landing on Mars.

The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) is heavily involved in the European Space Agency's Aurora programme.

The team will work with some of the world's most advanced robots.

It's hoped that the first astronaut will land on the red planet by 2033.

Professor Ian Halliday, chief executive, said: "We have the scientific and industrial expertise in the UK to be major players in Aurora and we have made a substantial investment."

The UK signed for the first phase of Aurora in October 2004 when PPARC confirmed an investment of £3.5m.