WE are already a week into 2003 and, so far, things haven't really been up to scratch.

What has happened to all the flying cars, faithful robot servants, moon colonies, and interstellar voyages promised to us by Tomorrow's World?

These days it seems like the space age is a thing of the past.

But the country's most famous astronomer Sir Patrick Moore disagrees and he is setting his sights firmly on Mars as the next giant leap for mankind.

To celebrate his 80th birthday this year Dr Moore has created a new talk entitled Mars: The Next Frontier, which he is bringing to Worcester's Huntingdon Hall.

"It is going to be very much Mars' year this year," said Dr Moore in his inimitable voice which has not been slowed by his advancing years.

Over the next 12 months probes are going to be sent to the red planet and Dr Moore says a manned mission will not be too far into the future.

"It will happen, but in a while," he said.

"I think it is still important for there to be a manned mission because men can still do things robots can't.

"At the moment it would take seven months to get there, and then you've got to get back."

Although we've all given up hope of finding little green men, Dr Moore says the planet may not be completely sterile.

"I am about 50/50 as to whether we will find some sort of life there," he said.

His talk will go far into the future looking at permanent bases, eventual colonies and how this will lead to two species of mankind.

And there is no one better qualified to talk about this than Dr Moore who played a part in the moon landing.

"I played a small part. NASA used some of my maps of the moon for the Apollo mission," he said,

Dr Moore was awarded an OBE in 1968, received a CBE in 1988, and knighted in 2002.

By international consent, an asteroid has been named "Moore" in his honour.

He wrote his first article about astronomy at the age of 13 and completed his first book, A Guide to the Moon after serving as a navigator for the Royal Air Force Bomber Command in the Second World War.

Since then Dr Moore has written more than 100 books and holds a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the longest running TV series, The Sky at Night.

The show has been running for 45 years and, at one time, was broadcast live, leading to famous bloopers such as Dr Moore swallowing a fly mid-sentence and discovering one of his guests did not speak English.

"He was a Russian expert and we had to carry out the interview in pidgin French."

"My autobiography is coming out in March. I always said I wouldn't do one but I was persuaded into it."

His life spans the early days of aviation to the moon landing and the first space tourist, which is something Dr Moore may have been interested in.

"If I was younger and If I had $60m," he said.

Although astronomy has made him famous,

Dr Moore's musical career cannot be overlooked.

At the age of nine he taught himself to read and write music and two years later completed his first work.

Dr Moore has over 70 works to his credit, including three comic operas and the tone poem Phwthon's Ride.

And, of course, there is the xylophone music, which he has recorded with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra on the CD, Moore Music.

But the tone changes in our conversation when the topic turns to music.

His arthritis means he can no longer play either piano or xylophone.

"It is one of the worst things that could happen to me," he said.

"It is terrible to see the piano or the xylophone and know I can't play it.

"But I can still talk and still give these lectures."

Indeed, he is looking forward to his visit to Worcester, despite the city's roads.

"I rank Worcester alongside Bath as one of the hardest places to drive around," said the man who mapped the moon for NASA.