The Space Above Us

Columbia is back from the shop and is sporting some new upgrades, but seems reluctant to leave Earth on its 18th voyage. Once on orbit, we'll do some science, learn why TV is good, and perform some magic tricks! Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep147_sts-73 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

Endeavour is back on the launch pad with two payloads to both deploy and retrieve. One of those payloads looks a whole lot like a gigantic frisbee, something that would be sure to get the attention of any dog (or dog crew) nearby. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep146_sts-69 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

On STS-70 it's time to complete the TDRSS constellation! Or at least the first generation. We'll also resist putting fish eggs on crackers, buy some decoy owls, and wonder why so many people from Ohio are trying to escape Earth. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep145_sts-70 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

Norm Thagard is about to become America's first Cosmonaut. What challenges will he encounter during his four months on the Russian space station Mir? And why are they bringing so much juice? Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep144_nasa-1 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

Twenty years after the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, four years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and around a hundred days after the launch of Norm Thagard, it's time to finally see a space shuttle dock with Mir. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep143_sts-71 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

ASTRO-1 was a huge success, shining new light (more or less literally) on the universe with its ultraviolet observatory. But that was almost 30 flights ago. It's time for the new and improved ASTRO-2 to see what's out there. We'll also answer that question I'm sure everyone was wondering: which moon is ugliest? Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep142_sts-67 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

After all this talk about the Russian space station Mir, how about we take a close up look for ourselves? A REALLY close look. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep141_sts-63 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

On STS-66 we welcome Atlantis back from its long maintenance period, further probe the upper atmosphere, test out a new rendezvous technique, and discover what is perhaps the worst payload name of all time. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep140_sts-66 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

No, it's not a glitch in the Matrix, we're flying the same experiment on the same shuttle! Don't worry, we still find plenty to say. Oh, and Jupiter's about to explode, so that's pretty cool. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep139_sts-68 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

Space Shuttle Discovery is all loaded up with a grab bag of shuttle program favorites. Rendezvous, tech demonstrations, even an untethered EVA! Just be careful for the ghosts in the bathroom.. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep138_sts-64 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

Space Shuttle Columbia is flying for the 17th time, carrying the International Microgravity Laboratory 2 payload. With fish, newts, and bubbles, it sounds more like a witch's brew than an advanced research laboratory. But don't let vague descriptions fool you! Also, who can leap long Spacelabs in a single bound? None other than IML Man, of course! Errata: Around 4:48 I say "[...] sitting behind the Pilot on the middeck [...]" when, of course, the Pilot sits on the flight deck. Got myself all mixed up with MS1/MS3 out of position. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep137_sts-65 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

We've got a giant radar in the payload bay, bubbles in the water, and we're ready to learn about somebody's favorite type of lizard. It's time for STS-59! Errata: Around two minutes into the episode I use the term "frequency" multiple times when "wavelength" is correct. Really, since the wavelength is just the speed of light divided by the frequency if you know one you know the other, but still, I used the wrong term. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep136_sts-59 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

Space Shuttle Columbia has been packed full of so many experiments you might think there are two different payloads back there.. and you'd be right! Let's learn about fake-metal dendrites, how to stop the orbiter from glowing, and why the NASA ground crews think Pierre Thuot smells like garbage. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep135_sts-62 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

Look out! There's a Russian on the space shuttle! Oh, we invited him? Well alright then. On STS-60 we're going to push some atoms out of the way, begin the partnership that would lead to the ISS, and wonder what it takes to get a Coke in Russia. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep134_sts-60 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

The Hubble Space Telescope is in trouble. With the future of the orbiting observatory, and perhaps NASA itself, on the line, can the crew of STS-61 save the day? Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep133_sts-61 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

With STS-61 ready to execute the first servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, let's learn about the overall structure of the observatory, what the flaw with its mirror was, and how that flaw came to be. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep132_hubble_mirror_flaw The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

Columbia is on the launchpad and we've got a whole bunch of life science to get through. And just when you thought it was safe to drop the word "otolith" from your vocabulary. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep131_sts-58 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

We've got a packed flight with an advanced communications satellite, a new kick stage, the return of SPAS, an EVA and a sassy air traffic controller. Show notes: https://thespaceabove.us/episodes/ep130_sts-51 The Space Above Us website: https://thespaceabove.us Support the show: https://thespaceabove.us/donate TSAU Patreon: https://patreon.com/thespaceabove.us

In this episode, rather than hearing me talk about STS-51, we talk to someone who worked on its primary payload: astronaut Dan Tani! We also chat a bit about some government job he had down in Houston.

Space Shuttle Endeavour is here with STS-57, which brings us a little piece of much of what the shuttle program has to offer. Satellite captures, EVAs, technology demonstrations, commercial space stuff, mysterious loud booming noises.. wait, mysterious loud booming noises?

Germany is back together and back in orbit with their second shuttle flight, the D-2 Spacelab mission. I wonder what sort of science they have in store for us? We also wonder who's squeezing the bag under the middeck.

ATLAS is back in the payload bay for round two of the ongoing series of Earth observation missions. And TAGS gets some competition!

TDRS-F needs a ride to orbit, NASA needs more EVA experience, and we all need to figure out what's up with soft x-rays. Good thing Endeavour's on the pad for its third flight!

STS-53 is here and with it we've got a secret satellite, a fictional hot tub, and a space shuttle full of dogs. I promise that sentence will make sense at the end of the episode.

Space Shuttle Columbia has a disco ball, a container full of helium, and some cool glowing lights outside. Are we sure this isn't a party?

What do you get when you mix four frogs, one hundred and eighty hornets, two carp, and a crew of seven astronauts? STS-47, the 50th Space Shuttle mission!

Space Shuttle Atlantis has 20 kilometers of tether in the backseat.. but does it know how to use it?

Columbia is hauling the US Microgravity Laboratory for almost two weeks, and Commander Richards wishes his wife left her cell phone on.

Space Shuttle Endeavour flies for the first time. But if we're going to capture this satellite, we're going to need all hands on deck. Or on payload bay.

Before diving into the next mission, we take a quick detour to introduce a bunch of spacefarers, including one who will fly twenty-five times. We'll also learn a bit about why the next mission was necessary in the first place.

Atlantis is getting ready to fire photon torpedoes at Planet Earth! Well.. sort of.

Space Shuttle Discovery is packed with so much science it's practically bursting at the seams, but don't forget to take some time to look out the window!

For a simple IUS-based deploy mission, I sure found a lot to say about this mission! We've got nuclear bombs, caterpillar men, pranks, and multiple near-collisions in the air and in space.

Discovery has the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite in the payload bay, and it's ready to learn all about the stratosphere and mesosphere! This episode was originally going to have a story about the mission commander trying to ski in space but I ran out of time!

TDRS-E needs a ride to space, John Blaha is in command, and the middeck is full of science experiments.

It seems like this human spaceflight thing might be here to stay, so we better do some life sciences experiments and learn more about the impact of microgravity on the human body. Also, Space Shuttle Columbia carries more jellyfish into space than it ever has before.

Discovery has a payload bay full of multi-spectral instruments and is ready to perform an orbital ballet.

Atlantis has one heavy satellite to deploy, and the EVA crew has to evaluate some strange exercise devices in the payload bay. Sort of.

Columbia has a tricky time getting off the launchpad, but once it does, it performs some fancy astronomy that can only be done in space!

STS-38 seems to be a run of the mill classified mission at first.. until someone discovers something flashing in GEO.

Ulysses has a long journey ahead of it, and it all starts on Space Shuttle Discovery and STS-41!

The Hubble Space Telescope is finally here and it's about to rewrite the textbooks. If we can just get it to clear the payload bay in one piece.

Atlantis has something in its payload bay.. what it could be is anyone's guess!

The Long Duration Exposure Facility has been waiting for its ride home for a while. Let's go catch it before it becomes the Short Duration Exposure to Reentry Conditions Facility.

We end up with a shorter episode thanks to another classified flight. But if you need a sweet new PC, I think Huey can hook you up.

Atlantis is back on the launchpad and has another interplanetary mission in its payload bay! Galileo is headed to Jupiter! Please set aside 110 days to download this episode.

Columbia is back in the flight rotation with a mysterious spacecraft in the payload bay and a mysterious experiment in the middeck!

The Space Above Us has reached 100 episodes! Let's take a break from space, spaceflight history, NASA, Project Mercury, the X-15, Project Gemini, the Apollo Program, Skylab, and the Space Shuttle, and answer some audience questions! That previous sentence definitely wasn't crafted to make the show more discoverable to space nerds.

After nearly ten years, NASA is launching another interplanetary probe! Magellan is headed to Venus and it's catching a ride with Space Shuttle Atlantis

Yes, we went from STS-27 right to STS-29. Discovery is flying again with a TDRS to deploy, some pipes to shake up, and a John Blaha to defend.