Start Time:
The event will "blast off" at 7pm, so make some "Space" in your diary, and "beam yourself down" to meet some fellow cachers.
Background of the Event:
Space: the final frontier... Geocaching is rocketing into space once again. Astronaut Rick Mastracchio will deliver a Travel Bug® to the International Space Station. Mastracchio will be using the Travel Bug as an educational tool to help teach students around the world about geography and provide other educational lessons. The mission is currently scheduled to launch from Kazakhstan at 4:08 GMT on November 7 (same as UK time) and we want you all to be there (at least in spirit).
It's no coincidence that the event is being held at the Brunel Arms in Pontyclun, as Isambard Kingdom Brunel gave his name to both the pub and the Brunel University, the latter of which is home to the UK's 'Space Shave' project, which strives to keep issues that are harmful to the environment to the minimum, focusing on space travel and exploration.
Brunel revolutionised modern engineering and, during his short career, he achieved many engineering "firsts", including assisting in the building of the first tunnel under a navigable river (the Thames) and development of SS Great Britain, the first propeller-driven ocean-going iron ship, which was at the time (1843) also the largest ship ever built.
Brunel once said:
"I am opposed to the laying down of rules or conditions to be observed in the construction of bridges lest the progress of improvement tomorrow might be embarrassed or shackled by recording or registering as law the prejudices or errors of today."
Thinking back only 15 years, who would have dreamed it possible that we would one day all have devices that would enable us to find tupperware boxes in the woods? And that this world-wide phenomenon that we are a part of - a "hobby" - would be seeing a travel bug sent into outer-space. We should always seek to push the boundaries and keep finding something new in this "hobby", building bridges into the unknown and who knows where we will be in another 15 years.
About the Event:
The event is being held at:
The Brunel Arms
Station Approach
Pontyclun
Rhondda Cynon Taff
CF72 9DS
The event is in the back room in the pub, where no geocacher has gone before, it can be accessed by wheelchair but you may need to ask at the main bar in the front of the pub to get someone to let you in through the side door. Walk to the right hand side of the bar as you come in and head towards the door on the back wall of the pub.
There will be a log book at the event to sign and a FTF prize will be awarded to one of the attendees from names drawn out of a hat on the night.
There will be a raffle held at the event to cover the cost for the room hire, with a number of prizes.
There is food served at the pub, a menu will be available on the night, and there are numerous take-aways and some restaurants in the village... and there will be cake... lots and lots of cake.
The main bar will be open and the proprietor has said we are more than welcome to take part in the pub's weekly quiz. It's a maximum of 5 persons per team and it's £1 per team member to enter the quiz, which all goes into a kitty. There are 50 questions, with the winning team taking the kitty. There is generally a booby prize for the team with the lowest score and there is an additional side quiz (which is included in the initial £1 entry fee) where the winners get a free pint.
You don't have to take part in the quiz to attend.
Getting there:
The venue is right next to the Pontyclun Station (so much so that the pub used to be called the Railway).
There are several bus stops within easy walking distance
There is ample on road parking near the event, along with the railway station car park.
Unfortunately the space shuttle service is not operating in this area at the moment.
Night Caches:
As it's a Geocaching in Space Event, what better time to see the stars than at night? A night cache has been placed in the nearby area in readiness for the event. Hopefully it will be a clear night. The area where the night cache is can be muddy, please bear this in mind, if you are attempting it, as the proprietor of the pub may not allow you in with muddy feet.
The night cache will be published on the night of the event. You will need a 9V battery and a decent torch to find the cache - we have provided a battery for the night of the event, but it may be worth bringing a spare, just in case.