Professor features on Songs of Praise

Professor Martin Barstow (pictured), Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Strategic Science Projects and Director, Leicester Institute of Space & Earth Observation features in this weekend’s Songs of Praise.

The 1 October Songs of Praise programme will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the space age, the launch of Sputnik 1 on 4 October 1957. Parts of the programme have been filmed at the National Space Centre, where a full-size scale model of Sputnik is located in the rocket tower.

Professor Barstow said: “My involvement arose through my links with the Space Centre and my record as a (reasonably) well-known scientist who is also prepared to talk about my personal beliefs and how they interact with my role as a scientist.

“I filmed at the Space Centre and then we moved to the Department of Physics and Astronomy foyer at the University for the main interview with me. This touched on the relationship between science and religion and my personal views that science can’t provide a full explanation of why we are here. There is still plenty of room for some “divine” element and I find it difficult to believe that the Universe and our place within it is a random accident."

Songs of Praise is screened on Sunday, 3.15pm - 3.50pm on BBC 1.

Watch Professor Barstow's interview here:

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