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...
Jul 29, 2024•1 hr 52 min
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 !
Jul 24, 2024•58 min
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...
Jul 10, 2024•1 hr 21 min
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.
Jul 03, 2024•10 min•Ep. 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...
Jun 28, 2024•1 hr 36 min
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 ....
Jun 17, 2024•1 hr 36 min
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch
Jun 10, 2024•9 min
*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...
May 31, 2024•1 hr 30 min
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...
May 17, 2024•1 hr 15 min
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch
May 09, 2024•16 min
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...
May 03, 2024•57 min
*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...
Apr 17, 2024•1 hr 37 min
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...
Apr 04, 2024•1 hr 20 min
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch
Mar 29, 2024•11 min
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...
Mar 21, 2024•1 hr 19 min
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...
Mar 08, 2024•1 hr 23 min
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
Feb 22, 2024•1 hr 20 min
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.
Feb 20, 2024•8 min
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...
Feb 15, 2024•1 hr 25 min
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...
Jan 24, 2024•1 hr 35 min
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.
Jan 12, 2024•6 min
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 T...
Jan 12, 2024•1 hr 4 min
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.
Dec 22, 2023•42 min
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...
Dec 19, 2023•47 min
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
Nov 13, 2023•50 min
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.
Nov 02, 2023•1 hr 30 min
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...
Sep 28, 2023•1 hr 8 min
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.
Sep 14, 2023•1 hr 18 min
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
Aug 31, 2023•1 hr 20 min
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
Aug 15, 2023•1 hr 32 min
