The Space Above Us

This week we've got classified satellites, alarming heat shield damage, and another Mike is out of his seat!

The Space Shuttle is flying again with STS-26! Let's see if we can figure out how to fold some chairs.

We take a quick break from the main narrative to take a look around at a few things that happened during the shuttle's lengthy hiatus.

In this lengthy supplemental, we listen to Allan McDonald's testimony in front of the Rogers Commission on February 25th, 1986. This is a long episode, so just a friendly reminder that supplementals are considered optional!

We conclude our coverage of the Challenger accident by digging into why it was able to happen.

We look at what physically happened on STS-51L and try to answer some questions.

Before we deal with the tragic loss of Space Shuttle Challenger, we take a moment to learn about the remarkable mission that should have been.

Columbia is back after a long stint in the shop, but there seems to be some trouble getting off the launchpad.

Atlantis is back already with a bunch of satellites and an investigation into on-orbit construction of large structures.

In this supplemental we'll listen to the actual mission audio as Apollo 13's oxygen tank explodes. We'll hear mission control discuss stirring the tanks, Gene Kranz quickly mention the LM lifeboat concept, and several famous utterances from spaceflight history.

Spacelab is back with a flight sponsored by West Germany! I apologize in advance to any German-speaking listeners who have to endure my pronunciation.

With the addition of OV-104 Atlantis, the Space Shuttle fleet is complete. To celebrate, let's do another classified mission that we know almost nothing about. Also, The Space Above Us reveals some exciting news!

The crew of STS-51I had an unusual satellite repair mission on the flight plan. They better make sure they're well rested.

Challenger makes history on a one of a kind mission. Who knew turning a rotary dial could be so dramatic?

We've got a lot going on for the fifth flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. Commsats, lasers, something about a star war, and did that guy say he was a prince?

It's been a long wait, well, for some of us, but STS-51B is here! Spacelab is operational and has a whole bunch of science to do. But how are we going to get the monkeys into the payload bay?

We've got a full orbiter for this flight! Seven crew members, two commsats, a bunch of toys, and plenty of duct tape and cardboard.

We're back to our usual schedule! And what better way to return from an unexpected break than a mission about which we know almost nothing? This week, STS-51C: the shuttle's first classified mission.

No new episode this week because I got appendicitis and need to recover from my appendectomy. Sorry! New episode in two weeks.

STS-41B left some unfinished business in low earth orbit in the form of a couple of stranded communications satellites. On STS-51A, we're gonna go get 'em.

Challenger's back on the launch pad with the biggest crew we've seen yet, but something seems to be wrong with the Ku-band antenna. I hope you're ready for some orbiter attitude gymnastics!

Space Shuttle Discovery joins the cast, and makes a dramatic entrance.

The Solar Maximum Mission is in trouble, and only the crew of STS-41C can save it. Join us for the shuttle's first on-orbit repair of an uncrewed satellite!

STS-41B (wait, what happened to STS-10?) runs into a few bumps in the road, but clears the road for the next mission and comes home with some pretty spiffy photos.

John Young flies for one last time, carrying a payload bay full of science. Wait, does someone hear a sizzling sound coming from the engine compartment?

Challenger hauls the mail on STS-8, before using a giant dumbbell to flex its remote manipulator system muscles.

Sally Ride becomes America's first female astronaut to fly in space, and teaches Challenger how to say 7 for the camera.

Challenger flies for the first time and the TDRSS constellation gets started.

With five days, four crew members, three.. uhh.. engines, two satellites, and one planned EVA, STS-5 is going to be a busy flight!

Ken Mattingly and Hank Hartsfield were apparently born in a barn, because they can't get the door closed!

Jack Lousma and Gordon Fullerton fly Columbia on its third mission, carrying a whole bunch of shuttle-inspecting experiments with them.

Joe Engle and Dick Truly are ready to take Columbia for a ride and usher in the era of reusable spacecraft.

John Young and Bob Crippen strap in and fly Columbia on its first mission. But how will mission control deal with missing tiles on the heat shield?

This week we discuss three of the biggest challenges to getting the space shuttle off the ground: the engines, the computers, and the tiles. Oh, and we meet 54 new friends.

The Space Shuttle would be NASA's first spacecraft to land on a runway. So it's probably a good idea to make sure it's up to the task.

With our tour of the External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters complete, it's time to take a look at what they're getting into orbit: the Space Shuttle Orbiter.

Now that the Space Shuttle has been approved, it's time to figure out what the vehicle will actually look like. With that in mind, we take a close look at the two major support players of the STS: the External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters.

As Apollo hit its stride, NASA was trying to figure out what it was going to do next. The answer requires a significant amount of historical context, so let's see if we can provide it as we try to answer the question: where did the Space Shuttle come from?

Tom Stafford, Vance Brand, and Deke Slayton (yes, Deke Slayton) take the last Apollo CSM up to meet with some new friends from out of town.

We take a look back at the Skylab program, its fate, its legacy, and how it fits into the broader picture.

Carr, Gibson, and Pogue go the distance and wrap up a remarkable 84 day mission, thus ending the crewed portion of Skylab's life.

Jerry Carr, Ed Gibson, and Bill Pogue have been handed the baton and are ready to start the last leg of the marathon. Skylab 4, the final crew to America's first space station, are GO for launch!

Bean, Garriott, and Lousma still have 50 days left to catch up on their backlog. Let's just hope their two arachnid passengers don't escape!

Alan Bean, Owen Garriott, and Jack Lousma are ready to become Skylab's second crew. But will an attitude control propellant leak cut their stay short?

Conrad, Kerwin and Weitz have arrived at Skylab, but can they get the stricken space station under control?

We meet the crew of Skylab 2, wonder what happened to Skylab 1, and take a look at how NASA scrambled to fix their crippled space station.

We learn about some of the scientific experiments on Skylab, get it to the launchpad, and send it on its way to orbit. Though it seems to be missing a few parts when it gets there..

We get out first look at NASA's first big project after landing on the moon: Skylab. America's first space station is often overlooked, but we'll dig into the reasons that make it so awesome.

We take a look back at the Apollo Program and how we got there. Then I ramble a bit about my take on the impact of the program and talk about where the upcoming episodes will be going.

We explore the fascinating Taurus-Littrow region and bid a sad farewell to the moon.