of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Bondi was one of the first to correctly appreciate the nature of gravitational radiation, introducing Bondi radiation coordinates, the Bondi k-calculus, the notions of Bondi mass and Bondi news, and writing review articles. He popularized the sticky bead argument which was said to be originally due, anonymously, to Richard Feynman, for the claim that physically meaningful gravitational radiation is indeed predicted by general relativity, an assertion which was controversial up until about 1955. A 1947 paper revived interest in the Lemaître–Tolman metric, an inhomogeneous, spherically symmetric dust solution (often called the LTB or Lemaître–Tolman–Bondi metric). Bondi also contributed to the theory of accretion of matter from a cloud of gas onto a star or a black hole, working with Raymond Lyttleton and giving his name to "Bondi accretion" and the "Bondi radius". He became a professor at King's College London in 1954, and was given the title of Emeritus Professor there in 1985. He was secretary of the Royal Astronomical Society from 1956 to 1964. Other work Bondi was also active outside the confines of academic lecturing and research. He held many positions: Director-General of the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) (1967–1971) (which later became the European Space Agency, ESA) Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence (1971–1977) Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Energy (1977–1980) Chairman of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) (1980–1984) President of the Society for Research into Higher Education (1981–1997) President of the Hydrographic Society (1985–1987) Master of Churchill College, Cambridge (1983–1990). He became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1959. He made a series of television programs called E=mc2 for the BBC in 1963. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Bath in 1973. He was awarded the Einstein Society Gold Medal in 1983, the Gold Medal of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications in 1988, the G.D. Birla International Award for Humanism, and the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2001. He was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Science) by the University of Bath in 1974. His report into the flooding of London in 1953 led eventually to the building of the Thames Barrier. He also supported the proposal for a Severn Barrage to generate electricity, but this project was not carried forward. His papers from 1940 to 2000 are archived in 109 archive boxes by the Janus Project.