A local author and long-time Sandbach resident is giving a talk tomorrow (Saturday) at a conference in Manchester about his career – and how he managed to work in the space business completely by accident.

Nick Booth, who went to Offley Primary School and then Sandbach School, became – in his own words – "famous for 15 minutes" in 1981 when he became the youngest Briton to work for NASA at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

"The plan was I would become an astronomer," he says. "In reality, I was too stupid to actually do that and so settled for the next best thing: writing about it."

Image: Nick Booth

For ten years, he covered space for UK newspapers and also has another claim to fame: he was fired from his first job by Patrick Moore, the TV astronomer. "It would be funnier if it was fired from a cannon," he says.

Nick has written several books on space, the most recent 'The Search for Life on Mars' which is about follows the greatest cosmic quest of all time. He will be signing copies of that tomorrow.

Nick in his NASA days. (Photo: Nick Booth)

His talk will be at the annual student space conference at Manchester University, another irony so far as Nick is concerned.

"I was offered a place to read science there but turned it down and went to London instead," he said. "Otherwise I would have been home every weekend with my washing."

Since then, Nick has written several books – one of which is being made into a film by Tom Hanks – and now writes thrillers, scripts and adapts books for film and TV.

"It certainly beats working for a living," he says with a smile. "I have a degree in physics but can't wire a plug. I rest my case."

His talk will cover some of his exploits as a reporter and "accidental flâneur" – meeting Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman, interviewing Arthur C. Clarke and, as the photo below shows, "being a 00 operative years before Daniel Craig."

Nick with actor, Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn, known for his role as Q in 17 of the James Bond films. (Photo: Nick Booth)

The National Students Space Conference begins tomorrow and is being recorded: https://hub.ukseds.org/Events/Home/Details/e502ae82-8f43-4862-b567-821d9d4095f7

Nicholas Booth tweets as @thievesbook