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Alumni

Don't blink - you might miss it.

The latest Doctor Who TV special emerging from the United Kingdom contains a prominent, if brief, reference to the University of Adelaide.

Doctor Who: The Waters Of Mars is part of a series of specials being broadcast around the world this year. To be shown in Australia on Sunday 6 December on ABC1, the special has already been broadcast in the UK and New Zealand, with North America to follow.

The action is set in a base on the planet Mars in the year 2059. One of the characters, played by Australian actor Peter O'Brien, is an astronaut called Edward Gold.

Early in the one-hour special, Gold's fictional biography is displayed prominently on screen. It reads:

"Gold grew up in Adelaide, Australia at a time when the country was seriously lagging behind in the Space Race. As a child Edward Gold was fascinated by space. His father has described how he started building model rockets from cardboard and plastics.

"Educated at St Andrews [sic] School and St Peter's College, Adelaide before receiving a bachelor of engineering degree in mechanical engineering (with First Class honors) from the University of Adelaide in 2030. He completed a doctorate in the same subject at the University of Adelaide in 2034.

"After completing his studies, Gold accepted an offer from Lockheed in Atlanta. He became a U.S. citizen in March 2040, hoping to gain entry to NASA's astronaut program."

This fictional biography bears a striking resemblance to the biographical details of real-life University of Adelaide graduate and NASA astronaut Dr Andy Thomas.

Those who visit Dr Thomas's page on Wikipedia.org will be greeted with the following:

"Educated at St Andrews [sic] School and St Peter's College, Adelaide before receiving a bachelor of engineering degree in mechanical engineering (with First Class honors) from the University of Adelaide in 1973. He completed a doctorate in the same subject at the University of Adelaide in 1978."

And: "As a child, Thomas was fascinated by space. His father has described how he started building model rockets from cardboard and plastics. After completing his studies, Thomas accepted an offer from Lockheed in Atlanta."

Actor Peter O'Brien is himself a former University of Adelaide student, having studied Science here during the 1970s.

Story by David Ellis