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Michael Foale took several small steps for Britons in space

1995: Space pioneers take first small steps

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The first Briton and the first African-American have walked in space as part of a Nasa experiment.

Dr Michael Foale - originally from Lincolnshire - and Dr Bernard Harris stepped out into the open cargo bay of the shuttle Discovery at 1210 GMT to test a modified space suit and astronaut endurance.

With his parents and American wife Mary watching by satellite link in a London TV studio, Dr Foale's first words as he peeped down to earth, 240 miles away, were: "Gosh it's high isn't it?"

He and Dr Harris clung to each other as they sat on the shuttle's robot arm.

They moved into the coldest area, in Discovery's shadow, and hung motionless in space for 20 minutes to test the efficiency of newinsulationsystems in their suits.

Indigenous Americans

Dr Harris dedicated his space walk "to all African-American achievements" and carried with him the flag of the Navajo nation to draw attention to indigenous Americans.

Together they manoeuvred a 1.25 tonne space-dust collecting satellite - the first of its kind.

But their planned five hours out in space were cut short when both astronauts complained of cold and the Nasa control-centre called them back into the shuttle at 1620 GMT. They spent over three hours at an average temperature of -92C.

It was Dr Foale's boyhood dream to be the first Briton in space - but he was beaten by Helen Sharman in 1991 - and he emigrated to the US to join Nasa in 1982.

A Cambridge graduate, with a doctorate in astrophysics, Michael Foale learnt to fly while he was at university and has already spent more than 436 hours in space since 1992.

Discovery's current mission is to last a total of eight days in preparation for building the international space station, scheduled to begin in 1997.

Dounreay's dome has become a familiar landmark

1966: New nuclear reactor for Dounreay

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The A nuclear reactor described as "the system of the next century" is to be built at the Dounreay power station on the north coast of Scotland.

Minister for Technology Frank Cousins made the announcement in parliament today.

Dounreay has been awarded the ?0m Prototype Fast Reactor (PFR) in the face of competition from the Winfrith nuclear power station in Dorset.

Dounreay's remote location in Caithness, Scotland's most northerly county, was an important factor when construction of the nuclear power station began in 1955.

Its remoteness is believed to be one of the reasons why the PFR will be built there.

But Mr Cousins said the government had also taken into consideration the fact that Dounreay already had many of the required skilled staff and the necessary facilities.

At a press conference, Mr Cousins said there had been a change in attitude towards nuclear power and many local authorities had wanted the PFR built in their area.

Mr Cousins said the new reactors were "the future".

"They will be able to produce new nuclear fuel in the course of their operation and offer a prospect of even greater economy, as well as conservation in the use of uranium," Mr Cousins explained.

Scientists say the technology used by the PFR is the most economical way to produce electrical power.

Current nuclear reactors can extract only 2% of the energy available in nuclear fuel compared with up to 10% for the new reactors.

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) will build and operate the prototype reactor.

UKAEA chairman Sir William Penney said it was hoped to have commercial power stations in operation by 1978.

But they would have a "real tough time" meeting that target, Sir William added, and it not come to fruition until a couple of years later.

Dounreay was the world's first electricity-producing "fast" reactor - the reactor itself being enclosed in a distinctive dome.

The new reactor will benefit the local economy in Caithness with 700 construction jobs to be filled.

Vocabulary:

insulation: a material that reduces or prevents the transmission of heat or sound or electricity（絕緣）