back to article British-born NASA astronaut Piers Sellers becomes OBE

A British-born spaceman has been appointed an OBE in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Dr Piers Sellers has been honoured for his services to science, reports the BBC. The astronaut has flown on three space shuttle missions, with his most recent one taking place this year. He was on board the space shuttle Atlantis, STS-132 …

COMMENTS

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Badgers

    Well done, but...

    It's a shame that the honours list always seems to be marred by the inclusion of scrotes from the CBI and its ilk alongside those actually deserving of recognition. It'd be nice if we only honoured those who accomplished something worthwhile and banned the hordes of dodgy businessmen from being nominated by their politico pals.

    1. Mr_Pitiful
      WTF?

      MBE

      My wifes friend got an MBE today......

      She's a frigging shopkeeper!!!

      I ask you

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I don't wanna putta title!

      It's not so much the business men or union cronies that bug me - at least they've paid hard earned money (sometimes referred to as 'party donations') for their honour....

      But why do the usual procession of has-been celebs and sports types deserve them - why does 'services to entertainment' deserve a knighthood?

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I thought he was better in Dr Strangelove

    Ithankyouladeezandgennlemun

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Me too.

      Thought it said "Peter"

  3. JaitcH
    Alert

    Piers Sellers? Mmmm .... is this the French version of ...

    the late lamented famous Goon Show actor?

    IMO, people who have deserted the UK and taken another countries citizenship aren't deserving of any British 'gong' or recognition.

    1. Tempest
      Pint

      Peter Sellers ... his entertainments are still in demand, world wide

      Peter SellErs, not to be confused with Peter SellArs (born September 27, 1957) - an American theatre director, left a legacy of programming that is still much in demand today. He was awarded the OBE. See: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sellers >.

      He made an LP, FOOL BRITANNIA, which was withdrawn only after a week following a release although copies float around on the Black Market. Of course, this EMI withdrawal was before That Was The Week, That Was!

  4. Dom 3

    As *erroneously* reported by the Beeb...

    The Beeb's line was (one of ) "five UK-born people to have flown into orbit". This is wrong. It's also wrong to say five Brits have flown in space - by most definitions of British. Helen Sharman was the first. Michael Foale, Piers Sellers and Nicholas Patrick all hold (AFAIK) dual citizenship. Mark Shuttleworth now holds dual citizenship, but did not at the time of flight. Two further astronauts - Gregory Johnson and Richard Garriott - were born in the UK to American parents. So that's six UK-born to have orbited. Wikipedia reports that Johnson and Garriott are dual nationality but whether they actually bother to have a UK passport - I don't know and I doubt it. By my reckoning, of these seven individuals, only four would normally be described as British, two are as American as apple pie and the other is as South African as Mrs Balls Chutney.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Go

      Wups

      You forgot your "pedantic" icon...

  5. disgruntled yank

    CBI?

    China-Burma-India? Cape Breton Island?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      CBI

      Confederation of British Industry.

    2. David Harper 1

      CBI

      Complete Bloody Idiot.

  6. howard bowen 1
    Badgers

    Whoops

    You mean 'emmigrant'. Lucky bleeder.

  7. Dave Bell

    Did anyone see the original PDF from the Beeb?

    The version out this morning had a terrible layout: obviously broken, rather than poor design.

    When did they notice?

  8. Greemble
    WTF?

    "an American citizen -

    - a requirement for any wannabe NASA spaceman whose birthplace is outside the US."

    I would assume the requirement is the same for those born inside the U.S. too - or does the reg know something more?

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    "marred by scrotes from CBI" ?

    as opposed to those well-deserving workaholics that work in the public sector I suppose? Maybe, perhaps the perm sec who was directly responsible for the ID card fiasco, or the economic advisor to the Scottish government (who did such a good job of looking after the proudly Scottish banks that even now refuse to recognise that they are British, not Scottish, even though English, Welsh and N-Irish money bailed them out), the various Lords Lieutentant, the Lady-in-Waiting to the Duchess of Gloucester? The pastry sous chef to the Household? The principal of St Helens College (not exactly the worst paid job in education)? The Director Operations, Specialist Investigations, HMRC (who seemingly can't investigate the fact that his own agency works out of offices owned by a tax-evading landlord)? The lawyers? The Grade B1s in the MineOfDung? Possibly my favourite - although competing with Services to Contemporary Dance - the one for Services to Early Italian Painting? Shame the person acknowledged for Services to Education in Fife didn't teach basic economics. Services to Jazz music? Services to football referees?

    Seriously, you think they made a more valuable contribution than aiming to generate economic growth which may lead to creating jobs?

    Next you'll be suggesting the RMT and Aslef deserve honouring for screwing up ordinary people's lives in pursuit of selfishness and dishonesty. (Say, for example, by going on strike to demand a few extra day's pay that you've already agreed in negotiations that you are happy to give up in return for unearned pay rises). Or their "political aims", as they'd probably prefer it to be phrased.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  10. Harry the Bastard
    Black Helicopters

    and yet nothing for the intrepid playmonaut

    a baffling omission

  11. Youngdog
    Joke

    Woo hoo! Just read the list..

    ..and found out I'm now a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order!

    For I is Baron Charles Geoffrey Nicholas Kay-Shuttleworth - Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire don'tcha know!

    Seriously though - may I ask;

    a) Are the good folk of Lancashire even aware they have a Lord-Lieutenant?

    b) Would they care if they did?

    c) Should recipients of the KCVO spend the next 12 months wearing a full set of 16th Century plate armour and made to travel everywhere upon mounted steed?

    d) How the hell can it by right for Martin Broughton to get a knighthood? Services to Business? Services to wrecked Christmases more like!*

    * I would like to point out that I bare no grudge against the BA workforce - in my experience the cabin crew and check-in staff have always been nothing else but helpful and polite. Certainly better than the w*nkers at KLM who wouldn't even give me a toothbrush when I flew Economy with them (for the) last time (ever)

  12. Youngdog
    Pint

    Oh and I forgot to add...

    ..Happy New Year to everyone at Vulture Towers and all the good readers who, like me, spend waaaaay to much time on this site.

    Have a happy and prosperous 2011!

  13. notoriousbiggs

    Emigrant

    Piers Sellers has come back (quite regularly) to the school in Kent that he left in 1973 to talk to the pupils (he'll be there again later this month - and he'll also talk to the local astronomical society), so I think to suggest disallowing his gong because he's "deserted" the UK is a bit wide of the mark...

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