Failure To Launch

*UNLOCKED* Solaris (1972) Nov 14, 2024

This is an unlocked patreon bonus episode. If you want to hear more content like this, consider supporting FTL on Patreon.

This month, we're mixing things up and achieving a first for this show by reviewing an actually good space movie, Tarkovsky's 1972 classic Solaris, itself based off Stanislaw Lem's novel of the same name.
A big thanks to returning guest Nicholas Slayton for bringing his Tarkovsky expertise to the episode! And for informing us of all the crappy Solaris movies (1968 & 2002) we can inflict on you at a later date.

Lost Cosmonauts (w. Jake Rockatansky) Oct 31, 2024

If you were a cosmonaut and you knew you were about to die, why wouldn't you announce your last words in a comedy Italian accent? Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are joined by Jake Rockatansky (@RealRockatansky) of the QAA podcast to talk about the Lost Cosmonaut conspiracy theory, how it has evolved over the decades, and the Italian brothers most responsible for inventing it.

Support FTL on Patreon and unlock bonus content!

Sources:

Music by DJ Danarchy

*PREVIEW* Mars & April (2012) w. Born Under Punches Oct 25, 2024

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our Patreon at any tier!

Big thanks to Kelly for coming on! Check out his stuff at:
https://linktr.ee/bornunderpunchs
https://patreon.com/bornunderpunchs

Dumitru Prunariu, Covered Up for Being Too Cool Oct 17, 2024

The first Romanian in space never set out to be a cosmonaut. He just loved to fly. Today, we're talking about Dumitru Prunariu, his unlikely path to space, and how he ran afoul of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu, Romania's dictator duo.

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content!

Sources:

Interkosmos: The Eastern Bloc's Early Space Program, Bert Vis & Colin Burgess

Music by DJ Danarchy

Gemini 8: The Orbital Spin Cycle Oct 03, 2024

The first man to walk on the Moon was nearly spun to death three years before Apollo 11. We're back and talking with space engineer Scott about Gemini 8, the first orbital docking between two spacecraft and how it went horribly wrong.

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content!

Sources:

- On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini

- Gemini 8: The First Docking in Space, Drew LePage

Music by DJ Danarchy

*PREVIEW* First on the Moon (2005) Sep 25, 2024

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our Patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch

Soyuz T-15: Space Truckers (w. Nicholas Slayton) Sep 05, 2024

This week, we're rejoined by journalist and friend of the show @NSlayton to talk about Soyuz T-15, probably the coolest space mission ever attempted.

Read Nicholas' work at Task & Purpose and on his Newsletter!

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content

Sources:

- Mir Hardware Heritage, NASA

- The Story of Space Station Mir, David M Harland

- The work of space radio tracker Sven Grahn

Music by DJ Danarchy

*PREVIEW* Spaceman (2024) Aug 29, 2024

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our Patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch

The Damascus Incident (w. War_Takes) Aug 23, 2024

In September 1980, a fuel leak in a Titan II missile silo came close to turning Damascus, Arkansas, into a crater. This week, we're joined by guest @War_Takes to talk about the atomic spud gun, the folks who fought to prevent it, and how they were punished for their efforts.

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus episodes!

Sources:

- Titan II: A History of a Cold War Missile Program, David Stumpf

- Command and Control, Eric Schlosser

Music by DJ Danarchy

SSV-33 Ural (w. Lions Led By Donkeys) Aug 08, 2024

In order to spy on American satellites and missile tests, the Soviets built the USS Mobile Chernobyl. We're back and joined by Joe and Tom from Lions Led By Donkeys (@lions_by) to talk about the SSV-33 Ural, the world's largest spy ship.

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content!

Theme song by DJ Danarchy

*PREVIEW* Eolomea (1972) Jul 31, 2024

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch

The Science of Launch Forecasting Jul 29, 2024

Cape Canaveral is in Florida. Vandenburg launch site is in California. Today, we're joined by meteorologist and former launch forecaster Tenki to talk about the unique problems both face and why lightning and rockets should never mix (see: Apollo 12).

If you want to watch this as a video with Tenki's slides and visuals, we will have it posted on Youtube shortly. Subscribe to the channel so you can be notified when it goes up!

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content!

Theme song by DJ Danarchy

*UNLOCKED* Planet of the Storms (1962) Jul 24, 2024

What if mankind's first contact with alien life was through the barrel of a WW1-era German handgun? We're unlocking our first bonus episode for you, the audience!

If you want more of this, consider signing up on Patreon!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon (2001) Jul 10, 2024

We're back and talking about a very dumb Moon Landing Hoax "documentary". Also a fun history primer on how the Moon Hoax conspiracy theory got off the ground evolved over the decades.

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content!

Read Paolo Attivisimo's ⁠Moon Hoax: Debunked!⁠

Theme song by DJ Danarchy

*PREVIEW* Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) Jul 03, 2024

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch

Somehow it escaped our brains till now that CODBLOPS has a mission where you shoot down Soyuz 2.

The CIA Luna Heist (w. November Kelly) Jun 28, 2024

History content starts at 19:25

In 1959, the CIA and Mexican DFS stole a Soviet lunar probe in possibly the dumbest heist in spying history. This week, we're joined by @postoctobrist to talk about the CIA Luna Heist.

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content!

Read space historian Drew LePage's articles on the first moon race!

Sources:

- MIT Technology Review Article on the Heist

- CIA Article on the Luna Heist

Theme song by DJ Danarchy

Part 2: The Apollo 1 Disaster Jun 17, 2024

In response to a lethal accident, NASA pulled off the crisis communications hattrick: lying to the public, lying to Congress, and lying to the Senate. This week, we're back talking to Kyle about the investigation and fallout of the Apollo 1 fire.

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content.

Sources:

- NASA Apollo 204 Disaster Report

Theme song by DJ Danarchy.

*PREVIEW* Space Amoeba (1970) Jun 10, 2024

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch

Part 1: The Apollo 1 Disaster May 31, 2024

*CONTENT WARNING*

A rushed development process, a faulty design, and non-existent quality control. This week, we're joined by space industry engineer Kyle (Skyhawk) to talk about the leadup and events of the Apollo 1 disaster.

Sources:

- NASA Report on AS-204

- Chariots for Apollo, Courtney G. Brooks

- Apollo 1: The Tragedy That Put Us On The Moon, Ryan S. Walters

Theme song by DJ Danarchy

Balloonomania 2: The Pre-Space Race May 17, 2024

Did you know that Ballooning was once an Olympic sport? This week, we're rejoined by Nicholas Slayton (@nslayton) to talk about balloons, specifically all the people who died trying to conquer the Stratosphere.

Find Nicholas' work here and here!

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content!

Theme song by DJ Danarchy

Sources

The Pre-Astronauts, Craig Ryan
Gaddafi article from the Independent

*PREVIEW* Solaris (1972) May 09, 2024

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch

Max Valier: The Space Evangelist May 03, 2024

Non-failure topic this week as Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris talk about Max Valier, the Austrian dude largely responsible for popularizing space research, creating the first professional rocket program, and riding rocket cars.

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content!

Sources

- Max Valier, A Pioneer of Space Travel - Ilse Essers

- The Rocket Men (Air Force Magazine)

Theme song by DJ Danarchy

Part 2: Soyuz 11 Disaster (w/ Beyond the Breakers) Apr 17, 2024

*CONTENT WARNING*

This week, we're back with Taylor and Tanner of the Beyond the Breakers podcast for part 2 of our series on Soyuz 11.

Follow Beyond the Breakers here

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock new bonus content

Sources:

- Salyut - The First Space Station: Triumph and Tragedy, Grujica Ivanovich (2008)

- Rockets and People Volume 4: The Moon Race, Boris Chertok (2013)

Theme song by DJ Danarchy

Part 1: Soyuz 11 Disaster (w/ Beyond the Breakers) Apr 04, 2024

The story of the world's first space station is complicated, tragic, and incredibly stupid. Today, we're joined by Tanner and Taylor from @beyond_breakers to talk about it.

Follow Beyond the Breakers here!

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock new bonus content!

Sources:

- Salyut - The First Space Station: Triumph and Tragedy, Grujica Ivanovich (2008)

- Rockets and People Volume 4: The Moon Race, Boris Chertok (2013)

- Mir Hardware Heritage, NASA (1995)

Theme song by DJ Danarchy

*PREVIEW* Teens In The Universe (1974) Mar 29, 2024

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch

Balloonomania (w. Nicholas Slayton) Mar 21, 2024

The French were the first to fly and it made them really weird about balloons. This episode, we're joined by journalist @NSlayton to talk all about the first balloons and aeronauts.

Find Nicholas' work here and here!

Support FTL through Patreon and unlock new bonus content!

Sources:

- The Aeronauts, Donald Dale Jackson

- The Early History of Ballooning, Fraser Simons

Operation Argus: The Great America Death Cloud (w. Phrosphor) Mar 08, 2024

What if America got so scared they let a Greek elevator repairman turn off the sky? In this episode, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are joined by guest youtuber Phrosphor to talk all about Operation Argus, the Cold War plan to hide America under a radioactive death cloud.

Check out Phros' work here!

Support the show and unlock bonus content!

Sources:

Burning the sky: Operation Argus and the Untold Story of the Cold War Nuclear Tests in Outer Space. Mark Wolverton, 2018

The Soviet Death Star (w. Lions Led By Donkeys) Feb 22, 2024

Iron Sky was alarmingly close to being a documentary. This week, Quinn is joined by Joe and Tom, the hosts of Lions Led By Donkeys to talk about all the ways the Soviets tried to put weapons in space. It involves far more flamingos than you'd expect.

Sources:

- Energiya-Buran: The Soviet Space Shuttle, Bart Hendrickx

- RussianSpaceWeb.com, Anatoly Zak

*PREVIEW* Moscow-Cassiopeia (1973) Feb 20, 2024

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch

Turns out there were a lot of Soviet space teen movies. And some of them are even good.

Sea Dragon Part 2: Bob Truax Feb 15, 2024

Last time, we talked about the biggest rocket ever designed. This time, we're rejoined by guest Scott to talk about the lunatic who designed it, Bob Truax. Also making appearances in this story: Johnny Carson, Evel Knievel, Robert Goddard, and a tortilla baron.

Sources:

- Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition, Ed Regis

We've also got a patreon! If you want to support FTL and unlock bonus episodes, follow the link below!
https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch

Sea Dragon Part 1: The Big Dumb Booster Jan 24, 2024

The 60s was a time for scientists and engineers to ask the tough questions. Questions like: what if a rocket was so big it was a railroad? This episode, we're joined by friend of the show and rocket engineer Scott to talk about Sea Dragon, the largest rocket ever designed.

*This was our longest recording ever and ran into a couple of technical problems so please excuse some muddiness here and there that we couldn't edit around.

We've also got a patreon! If you want to support the show and unlock bonus episodes, follow the link below!
https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch

*PREVIEW* Planet of the Storms (1962) Jan 12, 2024

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/posts/96333556?pr=true If you ever wanted to see a dude drill a venusian rabbit-lizard with a WW1-era handgun, we've got you covered.

Forgotten Cosmonauts Pt 2: Grigory Nelyubov Jan 12, 2024

Couldn't have happened to a worse guy (still didn't deserve to be airbrushed). Today Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris start off 2024 by talking about Grigory Nelyubov, the cosmonaut who fell from grace and got written out of history for being an arrogant prick.

We've also got a patreon! If you want to support the show and unlock a new bonus episode, follow the link below! https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch

Sources:

- The First Soviet Cosmonaut Team, Colin Burgess

- The Cosmonauts Who Weren't There, James Oberg

Comet & Joke: The Soviet Christmas Miracle Dec 22, 2023

A few days before Christmas in 1960, a pair of Soviet space dogs (Comet and Joke) were launched toward orbit to pave the way for Yuri Gagarin.

To every listener of FTL, thank you, have good holidays however you celebrate it, and you can expect a lot more fun (horrible) stories and guests in 2024.

Forgotten Cosmonauts: Valentin Bondarenko Dec 19, 2023

In the early 60s, the Soviets convinced the world their space program worked flawlessly by only announcing successes and covering up all failures. This policy extended to the people who worked for them.

In this short series, we'll be looking at all the cosmonauts who were written out of history, starting with the first cosmonaut to ever die in the line of duty: Valentin Bondarenko.

Sources

- The First Soviet Cosmonaut Team, Colin Burgess

- The Cosmonauts Who Weren't There, James Oberg

Operation Third Bridge (W. RedEye Reviews) Nov 13, 2023

In late 1944, the Polish Home Army undertook one of the coolest resistance missions in WW2: stealing an entire V2 rocket and smuggling it to the UK. This episode, we're joined by @RedeyeReviewer to talk about a story that really deserves to be an action flick.

Check out Redeye's channel!

Sources:

The Polish Underground, 1939-1947

Animals in Space

The Engineer Who Built Saddam a Supergun (w. BobbyBroccoli) Nov 02, 2023

From space engineer to arms dealer to the pawn of a dictator. This episode, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris talk to documentary maker BobbyBroccoli about the story of Gerald Bull, the most infamous figure in Canadian space history.

Enos: The Meanest Chimponaut (w. Francis Horton) Sep 28, 2023

When most people think "space chimp" they probably think of Ham, the friendly cuddly primate that paved the way for American astronauts. They don't think of the mean one. In today's episode, we're joined by podcast host Francis Horton (@ArmyStrang) to talk about Enos, the coolest space chimp.

Sources:

- Packing For Mars, Mary Roach

- Animals In Space, Chris Dubbs & Colin Burgess

- https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/enos-forgotten-chimp

Packing For Mars: Interview w. Mary Roach Sep 14, 2023

On today's episode, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are joined by award-winning author Mary Roach to talk about her book Packing For Mars as well as the more secretive side of astronaut culture.

Check out Mary's writing here.

Part 2: OTRAG w. Nate Bethea Aug 31, 2023

Today, we're back talking to podcast host and producer Nate Bethea about OTRAG, the world's first private launch company, the weird dictators they worked with, and a lot more crocodiles than you'd expect.

Sources:

Projet Wotan, Joelle Stolz

Part 1: OTRAG w. Nate Bethea Aug 15, 2023

Today, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are joined by Nate Bethea to talk about OTRAG, the first private rocket company. In Part 1, we cover the origins of Lutz Kayser and all the Nazis and dictators he worked with.

Sources:

Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition, Ed Regis
Projet Wotan, Joelle Stolz

Who Was Yuri Gagarin? w. Dr Andrew Jenks Jul 17, 2023

The Soviet everyman. The first Soviet sex symbol. The boyish Russian nationalist. The first man in space played a lot of roles. In this episode, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris talk to space historian Andrew Jenks to try to get to the bottom of just who Yuri Gagarin was.

The answer: "Complicated."

FTL Short: Russia's Uranus Battalion Jun 19, 2023

In a bid to find more soldiers to send to Ukraine, Russia has found an interesting new recruitment pool: rocket scientists. In this experimental short, Quinn talks briefly about Roscosmos' new Uran Battalion and the 60 year old men being offered the chance to die in the trenches.

Not really sure what these shorts will turn into, if they continue. Bonus content, emergency filler episodes. But if you have opinions, let us know.

Sources:

https://www.ft.com/content/c194cb2d-3aa0-4195-9be5-e78c1d2fd183

The Rocket Scientist Gang War w. Tom O’Mahony Jun 05, 2023

As the Cultural Revolution threw China into chaos, no institution was immune, not even their highly-secretive rocket program. In this episode we talk to Tom O'Mahony, host of the 33rd County and Beneath The Skin podcasts, about how China's rocket scientists spent the late 60s brawling in the streets and assassinating each other over office politics.

Check out our guest, Tom (@gotitatguineys)

Host of 33rd County and Beneath The Skin
Producer of What a Hell of a Way to Die and Lions Led By Donkeys

Sources

Making Breakthroughs in the Turbulent Decade, Chengzhi Li
Thread of the Silkworm, Iris Chang
China in Space, Brian Harvey

The First Moon Race w. Andrew LePage May 26, 2023

The first Moon Race wasn't to land people. It wasn't even to land. In the late 1950s, the Soviets and Americans raced to see who could be the first to slam satellites into the Moon at Mach 10. In this episode, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris interview space historian Andrew LePage on his work, his blog, and the probes that paved the way for Apollo.

Go check out Drew's website! Also, a big thanks to Drew for coming on the show.

Show Notes

https://www.drewexmachina.com/2015/09/27/nasas-forgotten-lunar-program/
https://www.drewexmachina.com/2018/11/08/the-first-race-to-the-moon-getting-off-the-ground/
https://www.drewexmachina.com/2019/09/14/the-first-race-to-the-moon-reaching-our-neighbor/
https://www.drewexmachina.com/2019/10/04/luna-3-shedding-light-on-the-dark-side-of-the-moon/

Part 2: Soyuz 1 & Vladimir Komarov May 18, 2023

Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris finish up their coverage of Soyuz 1 and Vladimir Komarov, the first man to die during a space mission. We also talk about the hundreds of dumb conspiracy theories that popped up around Soyuz 1, how they got started, and how they succeeded in replacing the truth.

Sources

Soyuz 1: The Death of Vladimir Komarov by Asif Siddiqi
https://www.drewexmachina.com/2017/04/26/soyuz-1-tragedy/
https://www.russianspaceweb.com/soyuz1.html
http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/histind/Soyuz1Land/Soyanaly.htm#Asif2
https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2011/05/02/134735091/questions-questions-questions-more-on-a-cosmonauts-mysterious-death

Part 1: Soyuz 1 & Vladimir Komarov Apr 30, 2023

The cosmonaut who cursed the Soviet Union as he burned alive. The friend who died to protect Yuri Gagarin. The lump of carbon in an open casket. There are a lot of stories out there about Vladimir Komarov and Soyuz 1, and most of them are lies. In this episode, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris go over what really happened to the first man to die during a spaceflight.

Show Notes:

Soyuz 1: The Death of Vladimir Komarov by Asif Siddiqi
http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/histind/Soyuz1Land/SoyAtti.htm
https://www.russianspaceweb.com/soyuz1.html
https://www.drewexmachina.com/2017/04/26/soyuz-1-tragedy/

Space Hygiene Apr 13, 2023

This episode, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris talk about the history of Space Hygiene and the worst space mission that everyone survived. Topics covered include:

The Soviet and American test subjects who didn't bathe for science
The Gemini 7 astronauts who stewed in their spacesuits for two weeks
The Salyut cosmonauts who almost drowned using the first space shower

Sources:

Packing For Mars, Mary Roach
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/mission_trans/gemini7.htm

BION: How PETA Killed A Space Program Feb 08, 2023

This episode we cover the history of the longest-running cooperation in space history, BION, as well as the endangered species it launched into space and the people who chained themselves to a door to shut it down.
Sources:
Animals in Space, Chris Dubbs & Colin Burgess
NASA
Institute for Biomedical Problems / Roscosmos

Part 2: Vanguard - America's Failed Answer to Sputnik Jan 08, 2023

The Navy tries to launch a grapefruit into orbit, an Army general LARPs as a Bond villain, and America's first satellite launch comes down to the dumbest photo-finish in space history. Part 2/2 of our series on Project Vanguard, the US Navy's flawed satellite launch program.
Sources:
Red Moon Rising, Matthew Brzezinski
Vanguard: A History, NASA

The History of Space Toilets Nov 27, 2022

The story of probably the funniest and worst field in space science. We cover the history of space toilets from the Gemini "Defecation Glove" to the Shuttle Toilet-Blender.
Show Notes
- Packing For Mars, Mary Roach
- How Do You Go To The Bathroom In Space, William R. Pogue

Part 1: Vanguard - America's Failed Answer to Sputnik Oct 24, 2022

Project Vanguard, the US Navy's plan to put a satellite in orbit, isn't one of those space stories that's well-remembered and with good reason - it was a historic failure and a national embarrassment. Needless to say, we were interested. In this episode, America tries to beat the Soviets to orbit with three (3) competing space programs, Navy engineers discover possibly the most dangerous chemicals on the planet, and an unfinished, untested, underfunded, and mismanaged rocket is forced to perform "the wettest dry run in history".
P.S. Thank you to Sarah from the It Came From The Sea podcast for the intro (the annoyed tone is intentional and hopefully not directed at us)
Sources:
Red Moon Rising, Matthew Brzezinski
Ignition, John D. Clark
Vanguard: A History, NASA

Gerhard Zucker and His Killer Mail Rocket Oct 06, 2022

In this episode, we take a look into the idea of delivering mail by rocket. It's a story of colonialism, Nazis, scammers, stamp collectors, and possibly the dumbest/coolest conman of all time.

French Cyborg Space Cats Sep 13, 2022

Most people know about Laika the space dog or ham the astrochimp. What most people don't know about are the cyberpunk animals of the French Space Program. This episode, we explore CERMA, the Hammaguir launch site, and the various endangered animals France launched into space.
Show Notes:
Start of "Soviet September", where Quinn is banned from talking about the USSR or their space program for the next four (4) episodes, inclusive.
Sources:
Animals in Space: From Research Rockets to the Space Shuttle, Colin Burgess, 2007

The History of Space Guns Sep 07, 2022

The Soviets came up with some truly innovative ways to protect their cosmonauts and space stations. This episode, we dig through a layer of Cold War secrecy and cover-ups to bring you the history of space guns. From cosmonaut Alexei Leonov taking on a wolfpack with a 1.5lb handgun to the Space Shuttle kicking off a wave of stupid Soviet space weapons.

Part 2: Cosmos 954 - Operation Morning Light (or How Not To Handle A Nuclear Disaster) Aug 29, 2022

Part 2 of our 2 part series. In 1978, a Soviet spy satellite carrying weapons-grade uranium slammed into Canada's Northwest Territories. This episode, we talk about the scientists, soldiers, and psychics who signed on with Operation Morning Light to clean up the mess and why they failed.

Content Warning: As with most things involving the Canadian government's treatment of First Nations people, a fair amount of racism.
Sources:
Leo Heaps, Operation Morning Light: Terror in Our Skies : the True Story of Cosmos 954
http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/trackind/RORSAT/RORSAT.html#References
https://web.archive.org/web/20110929125210/http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/gamma/ml_e.php

Part 1: Cosmos 954 - Raining Radiation on Canada's Arctic Jul 31, 2022

This series, we are doing a deep dive on Cosmos 954, the Soviet spy satellite carrying a nuclear reactor that deorbited and crashed into Canada's Northwest Territories. In Part 1, we focus on the satellite itself, how it failed, and how a little-known American government agency stepped up to tackle a nuclear disaster. Topics covered include:
- Why the Soviets loaded a spy satellite with weapons-grade uranium
- The horrible "failsafes" they designed into their satellites
- How a nuclear prank in Boston scared the US into taking accidents seriously
- How all of this is (tangentially) Korolev and Khrushchev's fault

Sputnik 2, Laika, and the Soviet Space Dog Program Jul 19, 2022

This episode, we take a look at the history of Sputnik 2 as well as the the Soviet answer to Project Albert: the Canine Cosmonaut program.
Topics covered include:
- How Korolev designed, built, and launched a satellite in less than a month.
- Why the Soviets only picked stray female mutts to fly on their rockets.
- Why there was no reason for Laika to die except Khrushchev's ego.
Show Notes:
Red Moon Rising by Matthew Brzezinski
Animals in Space by Colin Burgess and Chris Dubbs

Part Three: The First (and Worst) Satellite - Sputnik Panic Jul 08, 2022

This episode, we finish our three-part series on Sputnik 1 and the people, politics, and egos that launched the Space Race. Topics covered include:
- The decisions that made Sputnik 1 the perfect propaganda tool and worthless as a scientific instrument
- Khrushchev chopping up the Red Army and purging its top general
- How media and politicians in the West fanned the flames of Sputnik Panic
- How a beeping ball made the Soviet Union into a true superpower

Part 2: The First (And Worst) Satellite Jun 17, 2022

In this episode, we continue our investigation into Sputnik 1, its troubled development, and the politics that went into world's first satellite. Topics covered include:
- Khrushchev being so sold on rockets he slashes the Red Army by a third
- Rival engineers who got each other sent to the gulag
- Building a rocket site in the most inhospitable place on Earth
- Two revolutions, one coup d'état, and the least-bloody purge in Soviet history

Propaganda & The Cult of Yuri Gagarin Jun 03, 2022

Back from an extended hiatus, we take a look at the cult that developed around Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. Topics covered include:
- Gagarin's folk tale-worthy landing and the subsequent cover-up
- Gagarin's father being demoted to his uncle by state propaganda
- Yuri's unlikely role as the first Soviet sex symbol
- How the Kremlin exploited (and continues to exploit) Gagarin's legacy
Show Notes
Suggestion & Question Email: LaunchFailurePodcast@gmail.com
Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/launch_failure
Episode Notes
Source for Gagarin Cult History: The Cosmonaut Who Couldn't Stop Smiling: The Life and Legend of Yuri Gagarin by Andrew L. Jenks, 2012
Source for Propaganda Posters: https://russiatrek.org/blog/art/propaganda-posters-of-soviet-space-program-1958-1963/
Source for Putin Quotes: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/68180

Part One: The First (And Worst) Satellite Nov 16, 2021

Between super-heavy lifters, centrifuges throwing shells into space, or hypersonic warheads, this is a time of Sputnik Moments - moments in history that represent a great leap in science. But what about the first Sputnik Moment? What about the satellite that was so influential that it set the bar for every scientific breakthrough since and kicked off the greatest (peaceful) competition in human history? In this set of episodes, Quinn, Chris, and Other-Chris will take a deep dive into the horrible reasons that made Sputnik happen, the development of objectively the worst satellite ever made, and the way a small chrome ball turned the geopolitical world on its head.
In part one, we talk about the US general, competing scientists, and brutal rebellion that made Sputnik happen.

Failure To Launch Pilot: Heaps Of Dead Monkeys Sep 13, 2021

No better way to start off than to dive into the wonderful world of animal experimentation. In Episode Zero, Quinn and Chris go over America's Project Albert, Nazi rockets cobbled together from spare parts, so many dead monkeys, and much more.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected