Rex Hall dies

[Phillip Clark]

Rex Hall died this morning (May 31st) in hospital.   He was well-known as an observer of the Soviet/Russian space programme, with the history of the cosmonaut team being his speciality.

Rex was a council member and past president of the British Interplanetary Society, and from the very first "Soviet Space Forum" held by the BIS he became a mainstay of the event, with his calm, reasoned and friendly manner as chairman calming the over-enthusiasm of other attendees in recent years.

He co-authored three books: "The Rocket Men: Vostok & Voskhod, The First Soviet Manned Spaceflights", "Soyuz - A Universal Spacecraft" and "Russia's Cosmonauts: Inside The Yuri Gagarin Training Center" (all published by Springer-Praxis).

Rex leaves his widow, Lynn.

He will be sorely missed by observers of the Soviet/Russian space programme, he was a true gentleman.

[Nicolas PILLET]

I am really sad in reading this bad news...
The three books you quote are among the best.

[jacqmans]

Very sad news......

[Stan Black]

This is sad news. I have always looked forward to his articles and books; they were always well informed.

[Satori]

Very sad news and a very sad day... I have met Rex Hall once during an Astrofest in London and interviewed him about the remaining soviet space secrets. He will be missed.

[TALsite]

Sad news.
For all soviet/russian space followers, his name is synonymous of quality books.
I bought first "Rocket Men..."; after, I bought "Soyuz..." and at last "Russia's Cosmonauts: Inside The Yuri Gagarin Training Center".  All three very good books, even for a poor English reader....
"Soyuz..." is my favourite.  A great book.  I recommend all.
Rest in peace.

[anik]

Neville Kidger, Rex Hall... One more researchers of spaceflight history have left us... There is no replacement for them...

[space_19771999]

Very sad to hear, I've met him a couple of times in London and Coventry which was always nice.
Rest in peace Rex.

[Magic]

A deep sense of loss for an outstanding and well respected name in the space community, Rex Hall, SK

[jcm]

I've know Rex since I was a teenager. He was a lovely man and a fantastic resource, and he will be deeply missed. - Jonathan McDowell

[JasonAW3]

I never had the opprotunity to meet the man, and while I have geard of him, I knew little about him.

     Regardless, it is still a sad day when anyone, especially one who, having contributed so much without calling very much attention to himself, leaves us.  It appears that he was more about the subject matter than self agrandizement, an all too rare trait in anyone these days.

     He and his contributions will sorely be missed.

[Dmitry_V_home]

R.I.P.

[Phillip Clark]

I have just posted this "sort-of appreciation" to the FPSPACE mailing list.


It has taken some time before I’ve felt able to sit down and write something constructive about Rex, something that wouldn’t appear to be some random ramblings.   So here goes.

A lot of us knew the name “Rex Hall” from his letters which appeared in “Spaceflight” about the cosmonaut teams, crew assignments, etc during the 1970s.   Then – thanks to the late Anthony Kenden – January 1980 saw the first “Technical Forum” meeting held by the British Interplanetary Society with the subject being “The Soviet Space Programme”.   That was the first time we got a chance to put a face and personality to the name.   Rex recalled that meeting – which, amongst other speakers, saw Nicholas Johnson fly over from the United States – as being when he was overcome by meeting all of the people who had previously just been names to him.

In those early years “Rex’s Roundup” became a feature of these meetings, as he revealed the latest hard information, rumours and downright speculation about the cosmonaut team, who had been on the back-up crew of which mission and such things.   His quiet humour was always a feature of those meetings – I know that I was often on its receiving end.   In 1988 he announced me as being a “missing cosmonaut” because of a TV still inside what was then the Kaliningrad control centre.   Rex was never a technical person and so he used to have hot flushes if he saw “+”, “-“ or “=”, and if “>” appeared he would have to lay down for a while.   One year I recall having an overhead which was a “Rex Hall health warning” because some equations were about to follow.

Rex took over as the chairman and organiser of what has evolved into the “CIS and Chinese” meetings which normally happened on the first Saturday of June.   He is the only person to have attended all of the meetings – thirty of them!

Going back to those early days in the period 1980-1984, Rex and Lynn, Anthony Kenden and I would raid Collett’s bookshop in the West End of London after work, before meeting for an evening in a nearby establishment where alcoholic beverages would flow as we tried to sort out all of the mysteries of the Soviet space programme: who would be flying the next mission to Salyut 6 or 7? - what is that strange Cosmos satellite doing? – are the Soviets trying to intentionally confuse us all?
 
After the BIS meetings a few of us would adjourn back to Café Lynn et Rex for their speciality omelettes, as we spent the evening mulling over more mysteries of the Soviet space programme and tried to predict what would be happening in the near and long-term.   Those were heady and fun days before the Soviet Union decided to tell us everything!   Thankfully the tape recordings of those discussions will never surface!

With the demise of the Soviet Union, Rex became a regular visitor to Moscow, visiting places that we could previously only dream of and seeing things that we had never even imagined.

For Rex, the studies of the cosmonaut, astronaut and yuhangyuan teams and the training programmes were a fun occupation.   This does not mean that he was not serious about the subject – he was totally serious.   But he managed to keep a fairly normal life going as well, while many of us evolved into geeks or whatever.

I am already missing the conversations with Rex, even though they have become less frequent in recent years, and the friendship which he shared.   Rex was a true gentleman and we should remember what some obscure writer said many years ago: “When beggars die there are no comets seen; the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes."   Hopefully the skies will light up for Rex Hall.

[Sooper8]

Guys- I only joined the forum a moment ago in order to post this. (having found it via a Google search for something else Rex related). I found out about his death yesterday and believe it or not, he found the strength and determination to come to our national conference last Thur/Fri in the Midlands!
I have worked with Rex for a number of years in his 'daytime job'...a National project called 'Playing for Success' that he led with such energy and vision.
He had such passion for this project that he took us all on a journey and transformed the landscape of the world of education. It just wouldn't have happened without him- many hundreds of thousands of children got a chance to succeed and find that learning could be fun and stimulating, and that all they needed was someone to believe in them and offer an alternative.
I was in awe of his drive and vision.
A number of us were aware that Rex had a vast knowledge of the Soviet space programme but he was such a modest man that he never mentioned it.
So, our community shares your loss.Simply irreplaceable.

[Eraser]

Very, very sad news. We lost a wonderful person and a great friend of our country. My deepest condolences to the family and friends.

[Phillip Clark]

I have worked with Rex for a number of years in his 'daytime job'...a National project called 'Playing for Success' that he led with such energy and vision.

I did not mention it above, but it was for his work in the education field that Rex received an MBE.

[Phillip Clark]

Excellent memorial for Rex yesterday (June 10th) at the East London Crematorium: it was interesting how Rex had made a highly-regarded name for himself in three different areas, with each of the three areas knowing little about his work in the other two.   Thank you also to the British Interplanetary Society which provided food and drinks for everyone at its headquarters after the memorial.

It is expected that the annual "CIS/Chinese Space" meetings will continue, and maybe we should make sure that next year's meeting is something really special for his memory.

[StarDome]

Hi everyone, I was at the funeral yeststerday too and as Phillip said it was a fitting tribute.

I posted this to another forum but thought you woud like to read it too.

"I am just back from attending Rex's funeral.

To have know this man and had time to get to know him was truly amazing and life changing.

I learnt a lot more today of the “other” Rex, his involvement in the London Tower Hamlets projects and his work for under privileged children. I knew some of it and the inspiration he gave to so many people young and old without a thought for himself... typical Rex. Hearing people recall their thoughts was so touching a tribute to him... incredible in fact.

We had three moving tributes to Rex before we and all in attendance attended the BIS HQ for a get together to honour him.

My love and sympathies to his wife Lynn who I know well, who was as dignified as ever.

An amazing man has left a void in our hearts that will never be filled, but as one person mentioned, "that’s not a bad thing, because that void is where we can keep our memories of him" and it is where I will be keeping my memories of this cherished, much loved, respected, wonderful, caring, considerate and truly inspirational man.

RIP Rex, I will miss you dearly but remember you always.

Thank you to the BIS and those cS'ers who were there too especially thanks to Dave Shayler, thank you Dave, Derek Warsnop, Rob Wood and my good friend Richard Osbourne of the BIS, thanks for your time and support today. I hope everyone had a safe journey home.

If you want to help in some way then buy his books or please make a donation to the charities that Rex held very close to his heart

The BIS (bis-spaceflight.com), and the other is an education charity, Summer University, (justgiving.com/futureversity) that Rex was instrumental in.

Thanks everyone"