The Welsh Space Agency

...In space, no one can hear you ask for directions.

Extra Vehicular Activity

Dilwyn goes on a space walk outside Cymru III craft Itching now to get down to the surface of Europa, Dilwyn and Meg took the opportunity for a space walk recently. They spent over an hour floating around to have an unfettered look at the moon on which they'll soon enough be standing.

Dilwyn thinks he may have seen a suitable landing site, and Megan did some more space business.
Dilwyn described the experience as proper "parky" out there and said he was glad to get back in by the space fire in the recreation module of Cymru III.

Mamgu News

Anyone who has bought a mug or hat from our WASA Online Shoppe recently can't fail to have noticed that the cellotape securing their parcel was torn off without our usual panache. That's because our regular mug parceller upper, Mamgu, had a funny turn outside the White Lion last pension day. She was found on the pavement by Uncle Rhodri who'd gone to pick her up. She was incoherent, smelled of sick and had swallowed her teeth. We've been here before!

Anyway, it was probably something she'd eaten, again. But Rhodri had to do the packaging for the rest of the day and Mamgu had to chew off the sticky tape for the best part of a week afterwards while nature took its course and she could retrieve said dentures. A couple of Steradents later and now we're back in business.

She recently went to a Napalm Death Metal tea and dinner dance at the Tower Ballroom in Brum. We're not sure where she got the ticket from or how she got there, but she won't be going again that's for sure. We couldn't do a thing with her afterwards and she was quite aggressive when Taid Griffiths tried to switch the telly over to watch the racing.

WASA Super Car

Unfortunately, we can't claim ownership to this fabulous vehicle. This is clearly a space vehicle or planetary rover of the highest order. It's origins could even be extra-terrestial as it seems to use engineering way beyond our own. It's parked by the side of the road in the town of Knighton, in mid Wales. The locals don't appear to notice it, and when we asked about buying it, or acquiring the technology, they pretended they couldn't understand us and walked away!

New Space Cadets

New members to our space cadet's gallery this week. First up is our Johannesburg ground crew. Sent to us by their Commander in Chief, Dave, who was conceived under Rhyl Pier. Dave, when he wrote to us, was unsure of his Welshness. But we assured him that just riding the waltzers in Rhyl is enough to qualify you for a Welsh cap, let alone when your gametes get fused under a chip-paper strewn pier.

Congratulations Dave. Anyway, whilst not busy being conceived, Dave is a launch location scout for numerous space agencies, but prefers ours.

Pictured are N'tombi, Siphiwe, Paulina, Johannes and Prudence. That's just 5 names, so we had to make up the other 3, namely: Ralph, Edward, and Brenda. They are all fans of Star trek and Stargate. And they say they all like Megan. They wouldn't say that if they'd met her.

Our next new recruit is a friend of regular Swanseaesque correspondent, Jacki Fab. Gwion, described as Welshy Welsh, is seen here immediatly after one of Jacki Fab's fab partys. Or is it before?

Anyway, Gwion missed out on the Cymru III mission only for the fact we didn't know about him then. We will be contacting him regarding the still-vacant commander role for Cymru IV (now going to Myfanwy, not Miranda by the way)

Welcome aboard cadets. Please now wait by your telephone for further instructions.

First Post (This was the)

That's it. The builders have left, the scaffold has been taken down and the dust sheets now finally removed to reveal this all-new, occasionally singing, blogospheric version of the Welsh Space Agency website.

We were inundated with a complaint from the crew of Cymru III - themselves currently in deep space enroute to Europa and about to enter the orbit entry phase.

They reckon we haven't been keeping the site up to date with their inter-planetary manoeuvres. Which is complete tosh - we only did an update last April. Anyway, we cancelled the week's holiday in the caravan at Prestatyn in order to carry out this refurbishment.

And we hereby promise to keep you up to date* with all things W.A.S.A. and in particular our space crew on board Cymru III near Jupiter somewhere.

Ffranc Ff. Ffestiniog
Director of earthbound communications
WASA.

* Within 6 months of anything happening

Destination Blogosphere

After an eternity using the ground based version of our website, we have now completed a series of test firing of internet projectiles into the upper blogoshpere. So now you can read all about the latest space missions, personnel and daily (at best, weekly) goings on at the headquarters of The Welsh Space Agency.

W.A.S.A. HQ is a bit like Tracy Island off Thunderbirds. Except that it's not an island, is not in the sea, and doesn't go up and down like theirs does.

W.A.S.A. HQ is not at all like Tracy Island. But we are secret. So much so that we're not even 100% sure where we are.

Meanwhile, please feel free to peruse the following pages and blogs and posts and stuff at your leisure, and then go and buy a mug from our Tea Rooms. It's only fair.

Welcome to the Upper Blogosphere

Among these pages you'll find news, pictures and updates on all WASA missions - past, present and future. And chances galore to go and buy a mug (or a hat) from our Tea Room.

Our current mission was launched way back in 1987 before the Berlin wall came down, when Ronald Reagan was still in the White House and long before Brian had his tawdry fling with Siobhan in the Archers.
Arguably our most ambitious, if under-invested, mission. Cymrunaut Dilwyn Griffiths and his faithful, if useless hound, Megan survived the tricky landing manoeuvre onto the surface of Jupiter's moon, Callisto. Their mission was to embark upon mineral and gemstone recovery from the surface and return to Earth to make us all rich. Unfortunately, in an accident involving a lost malteser (see elsewhere) Dilwyn accidentally pulled the firing pin which blasted them to their present orbit around Europa. So we're going to see if there's any gemstones there instead.

If they do succeed, then we shall see if we should have heeded all the advice regarding the return to earth when we attempt to bring them and their precious cargo home again.

Departments

Cymru III

on the launchpad at Cerrigydrudion

It's Space Tea Time

Come and spend your entire
personal wealth on WASA tat
at our online bizarre bazaar.

Space Cadets Gallery

Read about some of the people who have nothing better to do with their time.

Our Intrepid Crew

The intrepid crew of Cymru III - Dilwyn and Megan

The space crew of Cymru III, Dilwyn & Megan

Biscuit Procurement

What is agent Llyr ap Llwyllion up to here. Click to find out.

The Big Match

Dilwyn's first return to earth in goodness knows how long and a momentous day in the history of British football. See the pictures, read about it, buy a mug.

Higgs Boson Sale

Save up to 50% on all Bosons, Leptons, and other sub-atomic particles in the great WASA Boson giveaway

W.A.S.A. Hats

What has anorak in residence Morris Spoon got to smile about? That's right - he's got an all new Welsh Space Agency Hat. And not one of those fake ones either

Telegraph Poles

Why not indulge your love of those wooden pointy things mere mortals call telegraph poles.

Ye Olde Newsletters