Ep. 350: Space Ship One

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) SpaceShipOne is the spacecraft created by Scaled Composites to win the $10 million Ansari X-Prize in 2003. It was the first privately built spacecraft to reach 100 km in altitude, twice in two weeks, carrying the equivalent of 3 people. It’s the...

Ep. 349: Mercury 7 and How the US Picked the First Astronauts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Before the Apollo Program, there was the Gemini Program, and before Gemini came the Mercury Program. 7 elite astronauts chosen from a pool of military test pilots. How did NASA choose these original 7 men? Ep. 349: Mercury 7 and How the US Picked...

Ep. 348: Places with Numbers: 2 Independence Sq (NASA HQ)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Although NASA is spread across the entire US, the headquarters is based right in Washington, DC. And the headquarters building is known as Two Independence Square. This is where past and future space policy for the agency was developed. Ep. 348:...

Ep. 340: Wernher von Braun

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) When the United States helped defeat Germany at the end of World War II, they acquired the German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun. He had already developed the German V2 rocket program, and went on to design all the major hardware of the US rocket...

Ep. 318: Escape Velocity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Sometimes you’ve just got to get away from it all. From your planet, your Solar System and your galaxy. If you’re looking to escape, you’ll need to know just what velocity it’ll take to break the surly bonds of gravity and punch the...

Ep. 300: What We’ve Learned in Almost 7 Years

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) We created Astronomy Cast to be timeless, a listening experience that’s as educational in the future as it was when we started recording. But obviously, things have changed in almost 7 years and 300 episodes. Today we’ll give you an update on...