A rocket fired up the north face of the Eiger towards the summit might serve as a suitable simile for the worldly aspects of my career in science. From 1957 until about 1970 the upward thrust was strong, and the rocket seemed on course for the stratosphere. During the 1970s the propellant seemed to burn out and the momentum decreased. About 1980 the rocket came to rest on a rather precarious shelf, halfway up the cliff: there was a danger of being pushed off into free fall; on the other hand, the position was a commanding one, from which good work might be done. As it turned out, the danger was averted and the decade was most productive.

In 1980 the researches based on orbit analysis seemed to be in good health. The Earth Satellite Research Unit at Aston University, under Dr Brookes, had moved to a spacious modern building at St Peter's College, Saltley, and the prediction service was transferred from the Appleton Laboratory to ESRU in July, because the Appleton Laboratory was being moved and merged with the Rutherford Laboratory. (Pierre Neirinck retired from Appleton but continued as a keen analyst of satellites.) In September 1980, when a meeting of visual observers was held at St Peter's College, ESRU was thriving, with four staff members working on predictions, four more as Hewitt camera observers, and a strong research team that included Philip Moore and two recently-appointed Research Fellows, Graham Swinerd and Bill Boulton, both working on orbit analysis and popularly known as the heavenly twins.