Jim Low obituary

My father, Jim Low, who has died aged 88, was a rocket scientist. Not that he ever used the term himself. In his passport, he described himself always as a mathematician/physicist. But, as one of the early members of the European Launcher Development Organisation (Eldo) - the predecessor of the European Space Agency - that was indeed what he was, at least for much of his career.

It was a career path that was all the more surprising, given his relatively humble origins in Cupar, Fife, as the son of James, a postman (who had fought in both the Boer and first world wars), and Mary (nee Collins). After attending Bell Baxter high school in the town, Jim, the youngest of four children, was the first in his family to go to university, thanks to a grant that was available after doing his national service - and, of course, to his intelligence and hard work.