Terranauts

Just a short announcement today to wrap up season four of Terranauts - and yes, there will be a season five. I hope you have been enjoying the journey so far and that you'll join us in the fall as we make the transition from Gemini to Apollo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's episode is dedicated to all of those Terranauts who work in the back hallways and committee meeting rooms to make sure that there is support (and funding) for the various programs that get humans and their inventions a chance to get off the planet. I have worked with too many of these dedicated and talented individuals to mention them here by name. It can be a thankless job and one that is not always shown the respect it deserves. Doing it well requires as much talent, vision and creative problem solving as any scientific discovery or engineering breakthrough. Those that do it well benefit everyone around them, although it may not always be obvious. As Mac Evans points out in this episode - in a very real way there is a Canadian astronaut headed to the Moon in 2024 because of work that he and other talented and dedicated Terranauts did in 1994.To all who have done and continue to do that job - Thanks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When last we left Mac Evans (in an episode called The Flag Is A One) - he was in the mission control centre of the Canadian Telecommunications Satellite (CTS), having just rescued it from an untimely demise. This was important because CTS was the first modern telecommunications satellite and set the pattern for 20 years of satellite development. It was an important Canadian contribution to the humanity's journey off the planet. Today we are going to talk about a different kind of last minute rescue. Today the rescue involves not just a satellite, but, in effect, a whole national space program. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

n today's episode we pick up the Gemini story with preparation for Gemini IX. That means that we have to talk about the tragic events surrounding the deaths of Elliot See and Charles Basset who were the first NASA astronauts to die in the line of duty. We'll also talk about how NASA and the Gemini program moved on past this tragedy and how the backup crew of Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan stepped up to See and Basset who had been the prime crew for Gemini IX. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we take a little bit more time to examine the events of Gemini VIII and what NASA learned from that experience. For one thing it learned the value of having test pilots as astronauts. But it also learned that having a team on the ground that could adapt to rapidly changing events on orbit was pretty important as well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we left first time Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott aboard Gemini VIII, they were just getting to orbit after what had been a pretty nominal launch of both their spacecraft and the Agena target vehicle that would rendezvous with. As we'll see, as the crew settled down to begin their rendezvous task the flight continued to go very well. Until it didn't... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gemini VIII was the first mission of 1966 and the first mission of the second half of Gemini's flight program. All of the big boxes had been checked, but that did not mean there was not a lot left to do. This week we talk about plans for Gemini VIII and we introduce a gentleman named Neil Armstrong who, at the time, was just a first time mission commander. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we get caught up on what had been going on with the Agena program. Remember those guys? They were the ones whose rocket had blown up after launch which had caused the Gemini VI mission to be aborted before it even got off the launch pad. While the rest of the Gemini program has been making history, they have been trying to figure out how to get back to flight status. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the calendar turned over from 1965 to 1966, the Gemini program was entering a new phase. Having completed half of it's flight program and having made progress on all of it's major objectives, the program was already thinking about wrapping up. In a sense though, Gemini was just a marker of its time. A lot of things were changing quickly as the world moved from 1966 at NASA, in the space program and even around the world. In this episode of Terranauts we take a moment to look at what the world looked like at the dawn of the year 1966. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the year 1965 ended, astronauts Jim Lovell and Frank Borman were proving that human beings could adapt to the environment of space, having lived there for almost two weeks before successfully returning home. Similarly, the Gemini program and NASA itself were also getting used to a new environment. An environment where they were focussed less on meeting the daily challenges of the Gemini program and more on how to use what they were learning there to help them get to the Moon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we finally get the party together on orbit as Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford in Gemini VIA complete the very first rendezvous with Jim Lovell and Frank Borman in Gemini VII. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we left the Gemini program Jim Lovell and Frank Borman were just getting to orbit to begin a week long wait for Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford to join them in the first-ever on orbit rendezvous of two spacecraft. Today we will finally get the crew of Gemini VI to orbit... although it may take a little while longer than we thought. Today we will finally get the crew of Gemini VI to orbit... although it may take a little while longer than we thought. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Each January NASA pauses to honour NASA astronauts who lost their lives in cause of space exploration. This year, today, the 26th of January is the day NASA has chosen to mark this Day Of Remembrance. Once again this year, we, at Terranauts, also mark this day with a special episode to honour those flight crew that have died in humanity's quest to travel to and live off our planet. Once again this year, I am joined by Chris Hadfield. Joining us for a discussion of the Day of Remembrance and why it matters is Tim Braithwaite from the Canadian Space Agency liaison office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we left the Gemini program, President Lyndon B. Johnson was just stepping up the microphone at his ranch in Texas to explain how NASA was going to respond to the failure of Gemini 6 barely 72 hours previously. Instead of stepping back and contemplating the big pile of lemons that life had just handed them, NASA was about to make pitcher of pretty impressive lemonade by attempting something they, and humanity, had never done before. Let's pick up the story... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was the 25th of October, 1965. And Houston had a problem. And by that I mean that Gene Kranz and the flight control team in the mission control centre of the manned spaceflight center in the Houston had a problem, Gemini VI had failed. For the first time in over 4 years NASA had launched a human space flight mission that had ended in failure. True, the humans in the mission had not actually gotten off the launch pad since the mission had ended when the unmanned Gemini Agena Target Vehicle had destroyed itself on the way to orbit. Still Gemini VI was a failed mission. How NASA responded to that failure would say a lot about how far it had come in four years - and how it was preparing for its much longer journey to the surface of the Moon and back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Terranauts podcast, NASA is about about to launch Gemini VI but something happens somethings that had never happened to a crewed mission before. As the launch of Gemini VI approached in the fall of 1965, everyone on the Gemini program was focussed on the problem of rendezvous. Last episode we talked about what that entailed. But in addition to worrying about how rendezvous would actually work, there were still some very real questions about the Gemini Agena Target Vehicle that the US Air Force and Lockheed were supplying to the program. Nevertheless by October of 1965, a target vehicle had been tested, retested and accepted by NASA. It was sitting atop it's Atlas launch vehicle preparing for it's date with destiny and the Gemini spacecraft containing Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford - which was sitting on it's own launch pad a short distance away. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By the Fall of 1965, the Gemini program was well underway and riding the wave of a couple of very successful flights. NASA engineers and management could take pride in the fact that success had actually been fairly hard won. NASA had proven that it could work through significant issues and contingencies and still find a way to make it all work on orbit. There was still one major objective that had remained out of reach, though. And that was the issue of spacecraft rendezvous. So although NASA had proven they could make it work, they still needed to prove they could get it all together before they did so. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode NASA and Project Gemini really stretch their legs in an attempt to set the record for the longest human space flight. Reaching the goal of 8 days will mean proving that humans can live and work in space long enough to get to the Moon and back. All that NASA needed was a good plan, a little bit of luck... and a working fuel cell. Tune in to see how THAT worked out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time on Terranauts we are back to talking about Project Gemini. With the accolades from Ed White's stunning spacewalk still ringing in their ears, the Project Gemini team needed to go back to work to continue their mission of getting NASA ready for the Apollo program and it's date with destiny on the surface of the Moon. By the time Gemini IV landed less than 4 and half years remained for NASA to meet President Kennedy's deadline. And there were a lot of things NASA did not yet know how to do. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Terranauts is back for Season 4. This season we are planning to follow Gemini as it accelerates off the launch pad on the way to putting NASA firmly on a course for the Moon. Today, though, in addition to setting the stage for season 4, I'd like to pause and think about how some parts of the Terranaut journey haven't changed all that much in nearly 60 years. Including the fact the Mother Nature continues to get a vote on when it's time to GO. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well Terranauts listeners, that is, in fact, going to be a wrap for season 3 of Terranauts. We will have to pick up the story of the Gemini program after the summer break. Never fear, over the summer we will be posting some of our favourite episodes from the past three seasons of Terranauts for your continued listening enjoyment.In the meantime, we really would appreciate your feedback on the show - or even just the chance to say hello. Please feel free to reach out on our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/TerranautsPodcastor you can email me directly at: Terranauts@sidekick65.comor you can some join the conversation on my discord channel at: https://discord.gg/DB4CQcc92uThanks for listening. We'll talk to you again soon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode the NASA flight control confronts one of its biggest challenges to date as they prepare to attempt not only NASA's first EVA but also the very first ever attempt at the rendezvous of two spacecraft on orbit. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the last episode of Terranauts, the Gemini Program had finally returned NASA astronauts to orbit - after a hiatus of almost 2 years. But getting to orbit had never been the objective of the Gemini program. Now that the spacecraft and the booster had been checked out the real work could begin - and that was the work of helping NASA get ready to go to the Moon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In which we finally get NASA astronauts back to orbit - despite Mother Nature's best efforts to the controversy and in which we discuss blackouts, Broadway musicals, and beef (of the corned variety) and how all of these things helped point the way to the new era that was about to begin at NASA. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today we are talking to a couple of Terranauts from The Next Generation. Laura Bradbury and Frederic Fortier both work for GHGSat, a Canadian company that is doing big things to combat climate change with small satellites. Find out what it's like to be working with today's cutting edge space technology. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With the successful launch of the Gemini I, the Titan Gemini Launch Vehicle was fully checked out and ready for flight operations. So, it's time to take a look at the spacecraft it was designed to launch. In this episode we'll take a look in some detail at the Gemini spacecraft and what NASA hoped to do with it once it started flying. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode of Terranauts we take a bit of break from talking about the development of the technology for the Gemini Program and go back and take a look at what the humans that would fly Gemini - both in orbit and from the ground - have been up to. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

At long last, we finally get the Gemini program into orbit. With just a few minor detours along the way... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode we take some time to look at just what it takes to get a spacecraft from the factory floor to the launch pad. And, in case it wasn't obvious from the title of the episode - the answer is that it takes a lot of testing. A whole lot of testing. And guess what, when you do a lot of tests, a lot of things can, and do, go wrong. Which is kind of the point. You'll have to listen in to see what I mean. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today on Terranauts we are back to talking about the history of human spaceflight and we finally get project Gemini out of the starting gate. When we left the project it was off to a "fast, clean start" under project manager Jim Chamberlin. It was not to last. In the first year of its existence, project Gemini would actually get no closer to launching a spacecraft, and Jim Chamberlin would be replaced as project manager. There were a lot of reasons for the struggle, including a major budget crisis in the fall of 1962. We'll talk about that today. We'll also talk about the one major challenge that Gemini never did overcome - the paraglider system. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last Thursday on 27 January, 2022 NASA marked its Day of Remembrance. A time that is set aside to remember those astronauts who died in the line of duty.On this episode of the podcast I talk with Helene and Chris Hadfield about the Day of Remembrance, about their memories of some of the crew who did not make it home from space. We also talk about what remembering means to them and about how we do and should pay appropriate tribute to the crew that have lost their lives and to their families who sacrificed their loved ones in the pursuit of Humanity's journey off the planet. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today's episode we are going to pick up the story of project Gemini as it makes the transition from an engineering study to a full up space project. In order to understand what that means, and what that meant we will have to talk a bit about how space projects get managed - and why contrary to many myths - that wasn't any easier back in 1962 than it is today. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the last episode of Terranauts we talked about the origin of the Gemini Project. It basically started because some Project Mercury engineers wanted to improve the Mercury capsule and make it easier to build, test and fly. But that on its own was not enough to convince NASA to actually build a new spacecraft. In this episode of Terranauts, we talk about the Technological Imperatives that DID convince NASA that it needed a new spacecraft and a new project to learn some things it was really going to need to know before it tried to go to the Moon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode of Terranauts we return to the historical narrative of humanity's journey off the planet.We are going to wind the clock back to September, 1962 when John F. Kennedy made his famous "we choose to go to the moon" speech at Rice University in Houston, Texas. It was an important moment in the history of the human spaceflight and marked the beginning of a new - and much more intense period in the race to get to and stay in space. We'll take a look at the spaceflight landscape at that moment in 1962. We'll also introduce the next NASA space program that would take people off the planet - project Gemini. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode I continue my conversation with three Terranauts who have all worked in Mission Control of the International Space Station as callsign ROBO - responsible for the operation of the International space Station's robotic arm. They have been witness too, and participants in some amazing events and some truly significant changes in the way mission control is done.This is part 2 of the interview, if you haven't listened to part 1, I would suggest you do that before listening to this episode. Thanks to Mathieu Caron, Danielle Cormier and Tim Braithwaite for joining me for this interview. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode we continue our series on the evolution of Mission Control. Last time, I talked about my experience walking into Mission Control in the middle of the Space Shuttle program and at the end of the era of the Apollo control centre as it was about to make a transition to the Space Station era.Today we talk to three Terranauts who have been around for that transition and who continue to work on the International Space Station in various ways. They have all worked in Mission Control and have been witness to and participants in some amazing events and some truly significant changes in the way mission control is done. Thanks to Mathieu Caron, Danielle Cormier and Tim Braithwaite for joining me for this interview. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode of Terranauts we explore the world of NASA's Mission Control Centre as it was in 1995. At that time, Mission Control was still being performed out of the same building and the same control room as it had been since 1964 when control of manned spaceflight missions had moved from Cape Canaveral to the Manned Space Center in Houston. This was the building from which NASA had gone to the moon. Over the course of 30 years many of the details had changed, but a lot had also stayed the same. But change was coming in the form of a new control centre, new technologies and new partnerships and ways of getting to and staying in space. But today we will take a moment to see what the world of Mission Control looked like, when I spent my first working shift there in February 1995.Resources for this episode:"Failure Is Not An Option", Gene Kranz, Simon &Shuster, New York, NY, 2000"Shuttle Mission Control Flight Controller Stories and Photos, 1981-1992", Marianne Dyson, 2021 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome back to season 3 of Terranauts. Today's episode is the first in a series of episodes looking at how the advent of the International Space Station changed how we go to space. The series will culminate in a conversation with some Terranauts who have been working as ISS flight controllers for the past 20 years. They have seen and lived this transformation up close. But before we get to that conversation we need some context. So today we actually go back to the early days of aircraft flight testing to see where many of the techniques and much of the culture of spacecraft mission control came from. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Season 3 is almost here ... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Season 2 has come to close and until Season 3 starts in September were playing some of our most popular episodes from the past year. Meet Terranaut Sarah Gallagher, Science Advisor to the President of the Canadian Space Agency, professor at Western University in London, Ontario, and supermassive black holes and galaxy researcher.

Season 2 has come to close and until Season 3 starts in September were playing some of our most popular episodes from the past year. First up is Chris Hadfield and Iain Christie on NASA's Day Of Remembrance. On January 28, 2021, NASA marked its Day Of Remembrance. It was a day set aside to honour the sacrifices of all astronauts who have died in the pursuit of the human exploration of space. In this episode of Terranauts, host Iain Christie sits down with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield to talk about those we have lost and what their sacrifices have meant.

Season 2 of Terranauts is a wrap! In this, the 40th episode, we take a quick look back at our second season and look forward to Season 3. While we won't be releasing new episodes over the summer, we will be keeping the feed active with some highlights of the past two seasons. We will also be busy with some other projects including starting a Terranauts facebook page. Search for us @TerranautsPodcast on Facebook. Thanks so much for listening this season... and we'll talk to you again soon.

In part 2 of "The Flag Is A One" we pick up the story of the Communications Technology Satellite just as a perplexing and potentially mission ending failure is occurring. Mac Evans will take us through a few days of high drama in the Mission Operations Centre as the team tries to use a tiny little bit of data to diagnose the problem, and fix it. It's a classic Terranaut story.

In this episode of Terranauts we talk about a little known moment of high drama in the Canadian space program surrounding the crucial Communications Technology Satellite mission. In 1976, Canada and the world were in the midst of a telecommunications revolution. Determined to use satellite communications, John Chapman led a bold effort to build and test a satellite that would become the prototype of what we now think of as a telecommunications satellite. But the Communications Technology Satellite mission almost ended before it began. Mac Evans, who was there, as the Mission Director - is here today to tell us the story. Note that this is part one of a two part story.

There are times in the development of technology and society when things change only slowly. And then there are times when things change rapidly indeed. The 1960's were certainly one of those times, for a lot of reasons. In this episode of Terranauts however, we are going to talk specifically about how simultaneous revolutions in telecommunications and satellite technology came together to change the way we talk to one another forever.

Dr. Cameron Ower is the Chief Technology Officer at McDonald Dettwiler and Associates where he has been working for much of the last 35 years. When he started at MDA (then known as Spar Aerospace) he worked with and for the engineers who had designed and built the very first space robot, the original Space Shuttle Canadarm. His job, at the time, was to design the next generation of space robot - the space station arm and its special purpose dexterous manipulator known as DEXTRE. This would become the first robot to live and work permanently in space. Today, he is helping lead the team of engineers that is designing the Canadarm 3, the robot that will help humans work and live farther from home than we ever have before. Tune in to hear what has (and hasn't) changed in the last 35 years the world of space automation and robotics.

In this episode of Terranauts we talk about the beginnings of the other great endeavour in space. Instead of talking about leaving the planet to explore space, we're going to talk about the early efforts to work from space to understand the Earth and improve life here. Specifically, we are going to talk about the early efforts to literally connect the world, by sending satellites to space. Along the way we're going to introduce another first Terranaut. In this case, it's John H Chapman, Canada's first Terranaut, and one of the people that more or less invented the profession we now refer to as the "Space Scientist."

Today on Terranauts the second part of my conversation with the Quintessential Terranaut Dave Kendall. We talk about Dave's career managing increasingly larger and more international programs until he ended up as the chair of one of the United Nation's largest and most active committees. Not bad for a lad from Twickenham.

This week on Terranauts we're taking a break from our regular run of the Terranauts Guide to Leaving the Planet to bring you a fascinating interview with David Kendall who could be described as the quintessential Terranaut. On Terranauts we often talk about the fact that no gets to space alone. We are fond of saying that space is a team sport, not only for individuals but for countries as well. Over the course of the past season and a half we have certainly talked to our share of Terrantauts with extensive international experience. But I think It's pretty rare to have one with the pedigree of today's guest. Dr. David Kendall has not only been at the forefront of major international collaborations for the last 40 years, he has also been a Vice President of the International Astronautical Federation AND for two years he was the Chair of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

Having completed a "textbook" mission with Wally Schirra's flight, it was now time to go for a full day on orbit with the flight of Mercury-Atlas 9 and Gordon Cooper. But this would be the final act of Project Mercury. The project had been a complete success, but its day was done as NASA and the world moved beyond simply wondering if a human could leave the planet - and started wondering what humans - and their inventions - would do when they were there.

If you can do something three times, doing it three more times doesn't sound like it should be that hard. Unless, of course, you're talking about orbiting the planet. In this episode we take a look at the third Project Mercury manned orbital flight - which doubled the number of orbits from 3 to 6 and we talk about why that was a lot more work for the Project Mercury Terranauts than you might have expected.