Failure To Launch

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.

Ever since satellites have existed, people have wanted to find ways to kill them. This week, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are taking a look at the 2007 Chinese Anti-Satellite Test - the largest debris-creating event in space history - and the larger trend of nations trying to turn Low Earth Orbit into the zero-g Somme. Support FTL on Patreon and unlock bonus content!Sources:- Characteristics and Consequences of the Break-up of the Fengyun-1C Spacecraft, NASA- Analysis of the 2007 Chinese ASAT Test and the Impact of its Debris on the Space Environment, T.S. KelsoTheme song provided by DJ Danarchy

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.

Heartbreak can be a terrible thing and people work through it in all kinds of ways. Some people drink. Some people attempt to summon an incarnation of Babalon to be their new girlfriend. We're back and we're talking with rocket test engineer Guest Chris about Jack Parsons. In this episode we cover the downfall of Jack Parsons and his ostracization from both the scientific and magical communities. Support FTL on Patreon and unlock bonus content!Sources:- Strange Angel, George PendelTheme song provided by DJ Danarchy

Jack. 210.

In a field of weirdos and freaks, Jack Parsons is broadly considered the weirdest freak of all. This week, we're joined by guest and space engineer Chris for our series on the life, accomplishments, and sex life of John Whiteside Parsons. Support FTL on Patreon and unlock bonus content!Sign up to the FTL Patreon at any tier and get access to our new Discord community. Sources: - Strange Angel, George Pendel- Jack Parsons, Famous Bi PeopleTheme song provided by DJ Danarchy

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.

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. Follow Canuck is a Slur here! 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.

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.

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 Support Failure To Launch on Patreon and unlock bonus content! Theme song provided by DJ Danarchy

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! Support Failure To Launch on Patreon and unlock bonus content! Sources: - The Ice Balloon: S. A. Andrée and the Heroic Age of Arctic Exploration, Alec Wilkinson Theme song provided by DJ Danarchy

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

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.

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: Phantoms of Space, James Oberg http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/trackind/Torre/TorreB.html Related viewing: the dumb conspiracy short film I made everyone watch Music by DJ Danarchy

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

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

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

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

What if the Bioshock Big Daddy suit were actually ideal for moonwalks? In the 1940s, the British Interplanetary Society (BIS) came up with a spacesuit that is both infamous and oddly prescient of spacesuit design. We brought on spacesuit knower JL (@WhaleOil2) to talk about this strange garment. Follow JL's art and designs here! Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content! Music by DJ Danarchy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.

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

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.

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

*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

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

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

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

*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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.