Pickering to be honoured in NZ

Space pioneer Sir William Pickering, 91, will return to New Zealand to be honoured next month.

A $100,000 memorial for Sir William and atom-splitter Ernest Rutherford is to be unveiled in Havelock.

Sir William was director of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1954-1976 and provided the technology to launch the first US satellite and to explore deep space.

Sir William and the late Lord Rutherford both attended Havelock Primary School, about 50 years apart. The coincidence prompted Canterbury physics professor John Campbell to plan a memorial reminding visitors that both men were born and educated in New Zealand.