General Tom Stafford at Autographica 14.
A real honour to meet this gracious and kind
gentleman: a true legend from the Gemini &
Apollo eras with a wealth of fascinating anecdotes.
General James McDivitt at Autographica 11. His
first UK signing, and quite possibly his last, sad to say:
he announced that this visit was a one-off at
dinner on Saturday night.
A true hero and real crowd pleaser: space-walker
General Alexei Leonov at the same event. His
wit and wisdom are legendary
Moonwalker Colonel David Scott. Autographica 11
was his first UK autograph show: he proved a very
popular attraction.
Capt. James Lovell, accepting a fragment of lunar
meteorite in March 2007. He joked that he'd been
to the Moon twice, but "I never got my hands on
any before!" You can buy a piece by clicking HERE
Fred Haise at the same event. Just a real thrill
to meet this Apollo 13 legend! Easy to chat with,
especially on the subject of the Hollywood
version of his dramatic spaceflight!
Col Al Worden is a true gentleman who definitely
enjoys the company of the ladies! But he is just
the most genuine person you could meet:
tireless in his fund-raising efforts, and with a
cheerful word for everybody!
Capt Alan Bean was kind enough to spend half
an hour chatting with me about painting! He
was extremely complimentary about my efforts,
and told me that he uses small figures with
ball-bearing heads as models to achieve the
correct lighting! A really gracious and friendly man!
Col Buzz Aldrin, dressed for dinner!
Obviously a true 20th Century hero, Aldrin
is respected by everyone who meets him.
Like most of the Astronauts we've met, he
is in amazing shape for a man of his age!
Capt. Gene Cernan: the last human to walk on
the Moon. I found him approachable, dignified
and fascinating to listen to! Another perfect
gentleman.
Apollo-Soyuz Astronaut Vance Brand: fascinating to
talk with and possessor of an amazing example of
the '1000-mile stare'!
Skylab Astronaut Col. Gerry Carr: a really
friendly and entertaining man! A delight to meet!
Salizhan Sharipov has spent over 400
hours in space and served as Director of
Operations, Russian Space Agency, at the
Johnson Space Center, Houston.
A really charming and entertaining man.
Col Anatolij Arciebarskij at Autographica 9.
He was a quiet, dignified person, who spoke
frankly (via his interpreter!) about the fear of
being stranded in space during the turmoils
of the attempted 1991 coup.
Scott Carpenter who flew the second American
manned orbital flight on May 24, 1962.
A charming and urbane man: dignified and
fascinating to talk to.
Col. & Mrs Scott: Lt. and Mrs Bryant!
Sir Patrick Moore: the man who consolidated
my love for Astronomy in 1959! 'At the Castle Gate'
still sends a shiver up my spine!
Brigadier General Duke, Apollo 16 Moonwalker.
This photo was taken at Autographica 13 in 2009
Charlie is a witty and entertaining speaker.

Another photo taken at Autographica: Helen Sharman, the
UK's first Cosmonaut / Astronaut. Just the nicest person you
could ever meet!
The first Astronaut to drive the MMU untethered:
Bruce McCandless. A really interesting conversationalist, especially if you are interested in any aspect of engineering.
Seymour 'Sy' Liebergott, EECom for many Apollo
missions, including Apollo 13. A really nice guy.