Failure To Launch

Latest Episodes:

Toyohiro Akiyama & Glavkosmos (w. Josh Boerman) Feb 03, 2025

Show notes

In the late 80s, the Soviet Union attempted to dominate the commercial launch market. Their principal success was launching the most miserable salaryman into orbit. Today, we're joined by Josh from The Worst of All Possible Worlds podcast to talk about Glavkosmos, the Soviet private space program.

Find Josh and Worst Of All Possible Worlds here

Support FTL on Patreon and unlock bonus content!

Source:

- Soyuz TM-11, Spacefacts.de

- Soviet Efforts To Enter the Launch-Services Market, CIA

-Akiyama Toyohiro: The Japanese Astronaut Who Hated Space, Unseen Japan

Theme song provided by DJ Danarchy.

Part 2: Nikolai Kibalchich, the Rocket Pioneer Who Blew up the Tsar Jan 16, 2025

Show notes

𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚏𝚕𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎. This week, we're back talking to Kelly from Canuck Is A Slur to finish up our series on Nikolai Kibalchich, the rocket visionary who blew up Tsar Alexander II.

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Source:

- Nikolai Ivanovich Kibalchich: Terrorist Rocket Pioneer, Lee B Croft

Theme song provided by DJ Danarchy.

Part 1: Nikolai Kibalchich, the Rocket Pioneer Who Blew up the Tsar Jan 03, 2025

Show notes

A travelling clown, a socialist revolutionary, an assassin, an edgelord. Today, we talked to Kelly from Canuck is a Slur about the strange life of one of the first men to theorize manned rockets and also blew up Tsar Alexander II, Emperor of Russia. Come back for Part 2, where we cover the assassination and how he factors into space history.

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Support Failure To Launch on Patreon and unlock bonus content!

Source:

- Nikolai Ivanovich Kibalchich: Terrorist Rocket Pioneer, Lee B Croft

Theme song provided by DJ Danarchy.

*PREVIEW* Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (1964) Dec 19, 2024

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This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, consider supporting Failure To Launch on Patreon.

The DLR and the Art of Satellite Operations (w. Jake) Dec 13, 2024

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A communications satellite is a bundle of computers (all made by different people) the size of a minivan. Coordinating all these systems to work together, send info to Earth, and accept new commands is nightmarish. This week, we're joined by Jake, a software engineer at the German Space Operations Center (GSOC) to learn a little bit about spacecraft operations.

Follow along with Jake's slides

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Theme song provided by DJ Danarchy

Andree's Arctic Balloon Expedition (w. Joe Kassabian) Dec 08, 2024

Show notes

Expedition Packing List. Food: 200 lb / Sledge: 150 lb / Science Equipment: 50 lb / Bear Meat: 12,000 lb. Today, Quinn and Chris are joined by Joe Kassabian, host of the Lions Led By Donkeys podcast to talk about a Victorian aerospace disaster: S A Andrée's attempt to reach the North Pole by balloon.

Follow Joe here!

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Sources:

- The Ice Balloon: S. A. Andrée and the Heroic Age of Arctic Exploration, Alec Wilkinson

Theme song provided by DJ Danarchy

*PREVIEW* Stalker (1979) w. Nicholas Slayton Nov 20, 2024

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

*UNLOCKED* Solaris (1972) Nov 14, 2024

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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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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