Failure To Launch

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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.

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