141: Apollo 14
Less than a year after the disastrous Apollo 13 mission, the program returned to flight when Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa and Edgar Mitchell landed on the moon in February, 1971.
Jan 26, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 141
Liftoff
Liftoff was a podcast about space, the universe, and everything. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand the major developments as explained by enthusiastic space fans Stephen Hackett and Jason Snell. Hosted by Jason Snell and Stephen Hackett.
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Episodes
140: The End of the Year Means Next Year
Jason and Stephen start 2021 by picking some things they are looking forward to in what promises to be a very busy year in space.
Jan 12, 2021•48 min•Ep. 140
139: Space Omelets
You get a sample return; you get a sample return; you get a sample return! In other news: SN8 had a rough landing, SpaceIL is getting back on the horse and NASA has unveiled more Artemis plans.
Dec 15, 2020•51 min•Ep. 139
138: A Great Acronym, but it's in Russian
The world is mourning the uncontrolled collapse of the Arecibo observatory, even as China's Chang’e-5 mission is underway to return lunar samples to Earth, which would be a first since the final Apollo mission. Also: an update on the SLS and Orion and a look at what's going on at Roscosmos.
Dec 01, 2020•33 min•Ep. 138
137: Delicate Dance of Docking
Commercial Crew has gotten official with the launch of Crew-1 over the weekend, the start of a six-month expedition on the International Space Station. That and the possibilities of Jim Bridenstine's future. Oh, and kilonovas!
Nov 17, 2020•40 min•Ep. 137
136: Don’t Tell the Boss
Zac Hall from Space Explored and 9to5Mac joins Jason to discuss the post-election future of NASA (and administrator Jim Bridenstine), the 20th anniversary of the permanent habitation of the International Space Station, a bunch of news about the moon, and OSIRIS-REx taking a bite out of Bennu.
Nov 03, 2020•59 min•Ep. 136
135: Space is Full of Rocks
Stephen comes with good news about InSight's Mole, and Jason says there probably aren't aliens on Venus. Also: OSIRIS-REx is due for a big day and the space industry in China is heating up.
Oct 20, 2020•37 min•Ep. 135
134: My Response to Existential Terror, with Dr. Katie Mack
Jason and Stephen are joined by Dr. Katie Mack to discuss her book *The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking).*
Oct 06, 2020•45 min•Ep. 134
133: The World’s Most Expensive WeWork
The recent announcement of phosphine being detected in Venus' atmosphere could have a major effect on future scientific missions, so Jason is excited about space blimps again. Then, Stephen walks through NASA's most recent Artemis roadmap, and the guys discuss what the future of the program could look like if the White House changes hands next year.
Sep 22, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 133
132: In the Shadow of Artemis
In the Utah desert, Northrop Grumman has tested a full-sized SLS SRB, while the future of work in low-Earth orbit is being debated. On Mars, InSight's troubles continue and 17 billion light years-away, two black holes have collided.
Sep 08, 2020•51 min•Ep. 132
131: Windex for Rockets
It's a busy week on Florida's Space Coast, and supernovas are in the news. Thankfully the two won't cross paths. Neither will Earth and an asteroid the day before Election Day in the United States.
Aug 25, 2020•45 min•Ep. 131
130: A Salted Almond in Space
Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have splashed down after their historic mission to the ISS, and SpaceX's finally gotten a Starship test article to hop in Texas and the OSIRIS-REx team is gearing up for their sample return flight. Also: Ceres' bright spots, government contracts and an update on the SLS.
Aug 11, 2020•40 min•Ep. 130
129: Dirt in a Soccer Ball
Mars 2020 is set to launch in just a few days, and should be followed by the splashdown of the Commercial Crew Demo-2 mission. Elsewhere, Virgin Galactic has shown off the interior of its space tourism craft, and we remember Rene Carpenter.
Jul 28, 2020•39 min•Ep. 129
128: Summer of Mars
There are three missions bound for Mars launching this month, and Jason walks through them each. Then, Stephen gives a NASA budget update and the two get into some space law ... and guidelines.
Jul 14, 2020•53 min•Ep. 128
127: Wormy Space Coin
This week: black holes doing weird black hole things, a progress report on the SLS and a discussion of how some of NASA's facilities should be renamed.
Jun 30, 2020•46 min•Ep. 127
126: Astronauts are Really Good at Moving
The crew of Demo-2 are likely working on orbit until August, while here on the ground, COVID-19 is taking its toll on NASA schedules. Also: a conversation about CLPS and Gateway, as well as NASA's new Director of Human Spaceflight, Kathy Lueders.
Jun 15, 2020•41 min•Ep. 126
125: A Sparkly Dinosaur
The age of Commercial Crew has arrived, with Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken arriving at the International Space Station safely after riding a Falcon 9 there this weekend. Also: tiny CubeSats can do big things and Tom Cruise may be taking a trip.
Jun 02, 2020•50 min•Ep. 125
124: Space Koozie
The Artemis Accords have been unveiled, but will their adoption be hurt by their rollout? Could Starship be more useful as a refueling station than a lander? Jason and Stephen get into these questions and more this fortnight.
May 19, 2020•43 min•Ep. 124
123: Lunar Camper
NASA has unveiled its plans to source a lunar lander for the Artemis program, while Hubble celebrates its 30th anniversary.
May 05, 2020•51 min•Ep. 123
122: Get an Exoplanet; Lose an Exoplanet
May seems to be the Month of Commercial Crew! Also: NASA is working from home, an exoplanet may be no more and a look at a future Mars sample return mission.
Apr 21, 2020•49 min•Ep. 122
121: Apollo 13
In the spring of 1970, NASA launched what would be the third mission to walk on the moon, but almost nothing went to plan, putting the crew in peril until the moment they splashed down.
Apr 07, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 121
120: Everything Got Jumbled and Fell Down
The entire space industry is reeling from effects of the current global pandemic, and NASA remembers Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden.
Mar 24, 2020•39 min•Ep. 120
119: A Rovey McRoverface Situation
Mars 2020 has a name, Voyager 2 can't call home and SpaceX is doing SpaceX things. Then, results from the initial Starliner investigation and a look at VIPER.
Mar 10, 2020•35 min•Ep. 119
118: A Reusable Buddy Satellite
Little satellites are helping larger ones, InSight's mole is causing problems, the SLS is slipping and Venus is up for a mission as a Hot Jupiter may be being ripped apart. Just another fortnight of space news!
Feb 28, 2020•57 min•Ep. 118
117: Things Bumping Against Other Things
Boeing's Starliner issues run deeper than it first appeared, CHEOPS is operation and the Solar Orbiter is on its way to our start. That, and a look at the White House's proposed NASA budget for 2021.
Feb 11, 2020•43 min•Ep. 117
116: Remembering Challenger
On January 28, 1986, seven astronauts lost their lives aboard the space shuttle Challenger, including teacher Christa McAuliffe. This week, Jason and Stephen talk about the disaster, its causes and how it changed NASA, after discussing the current House NASA Authorization Bill and more.
Jan 28, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 116
115: A Mannequin is Not an Astronaut
2020 is here, as are updates on the James Webb telescope and SLS. NASA has inducted some new astronauts and the star Betelgeuse is getting weird.
Jan 14, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 115
114: A Pentagon of Storms
2019 is coming to a close, but the news rolls on: NASA is close to having a new budget, Commercial Crew makes another step in the right direction and Jason ends things with a holiday message.
Dec 17, 2019•47 min•Ep. 114
113: Barbecue Freezer
Commercial Crew is moving forward, Vikram's crash site has been found, and there's a big black hole in the news. There are also claims of a new particle, but questions surround the announcement.
Dec 03, 2019•53 min•Ep. 113
112: Apollo 12
Apollo 12 forever lives in the shadow of the mission before it, but it shouldn't. Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Al Bean made plenty of their own history, with some terror and plenty of laughs along the way.
Nov 19, 2019•45 min•Ep. 112
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