Show notes
Criticism
Sloppy orbital mechanics and the value of science-adjacent entertainment.
Ed Harris
Forever the voice of Mission Control.
Space is dangerous
Almost as scary as the ocean.
EVA jet chairs
NASA’s MMU. The new tiny one: SAFER! Giant rectal rectangle jet chairs?
Where and how things orbit
Earth-orbital distances. Where different kinds of man-made satellites operation and how they are not likely to run into each other roughly ever. The utility of geostationary orbits. Earth orbits.
Orbital impacts
Relative velocities. Could you dodge a sniper bullet? IRL ISS escape procedures. Soyuz escape plans.
Deadspin
Glowing blood and possible alien infections. Human sensitivity to positive and negative g-forces. Trying to push more blood to your head for mental superpowers.
Orbital transfer
And impromptu deorbiting. How to crash a probe into mars (by accident).
Pressurization
Chinese space stations, then and now. Station entrance and exit procedures. Finally the Star Trek balloon analogy comes in handy! Decompression sickness/the bends during EVA. Portable life support systems. Sokol and ACES, and their insufficiency for extra-vehicular activities.
Fire extinguishers
…in spaaaaaace. Carbon dioxide. Water. Super soakers. Fire emergency procedures.
EVA Suits
Past designs and modern designs. Future EVA suit developments. Constrictive suits directly against the skin rather than creating an atmosphere around the body: the biosuit. The NASA Z Suit that looks like Buzz Lightyear, and operating EVA suits at the same pressure as your space station.
Reentry
Soyuz reentry angles. Heat shielding. Trying to point in a particular direction.
Lifting
The complete obviousness that heavy compound weight lifting is the major solution to muscle and bone loss in space. Bro do you even lift? Vacuum-based space squat rack.
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