The Documentary Podcast Bonus. 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle
Sep 25, 2025
Bob Crippen, a veteran NASA astronaut and pilot of STS-1, shares his remarkable journey in shaping the future of space travel. He dives into the early days of the space shuttle program, revealing the excitement and challenges of launching the first shuttle. Crippen recounts the intense prelaunch atmosphere at Kennedy Space Center and the innovative techniques tested during team preparations. His firsthand insights illuminate the pivotal moments leading to the historic mission that aimed to make spaceflight routine.
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Secret Beginnings In Building 36
- Ivy Hooks recounts being called to a secret team on April Fool's Day, 1969 to design a new spacecraft.
- Max Faget dramatically revealed the plan by flying a wooden model plane across the room and announcing a reusable space plane.
From Apollo To Routine Access
- The shuttle concept responded to a gap left by Apollo: routine access to low Earth orbit for a space station and research.
- Engineers wanted a reusable vehicle to make spaceflight cheaper and more frequent than one-shot Apollo hardware.
Skunk Works: No Windows, Big Ideas
- Ivy Hooks describes the Skunk Works: a noisy windowless room where a small team worked secretly for months.
- She recalls it as fun, collaborative, and dominated by draftsmen, thermal and aero specialists solving new problems.