The Space Above Us
JP Burke
A podcast about the history of NASA human spaceflight. New episodes every other Thursday. (ish)
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 25, 2021 • 25min
147 - STS-73 - Seventh Time's the Charm (USML-2)
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
Nov 11, 2021 • 33min
146 - STS-69 - Who Let the Dogs Back Out (Wake Shield Facility 2)
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
Oct 29, 2021 • 31min
145 - STS-70 - Flickers, Northern and New (TDRS-G deploy)
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
Oct 15, 2021 • 38min
144 - NASA-1 - Comrades and Cognac (Thagard on Mir)
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
Sep 30, 2021 • 33min
143 - STS-71 - Reunion (First Shuttle-Mir Docking)
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
Sep 16, 2021 • 33min
142 - STS-67 - A Little More of the Ol' Ultraviolet
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
Sep 2, 2021 • 32min
141 - STS-63 - Near Mir
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
Aug 19, 2021 • 27min
140 - STS-66 - Ascending with Atlantis (ATLAS-3)
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
Aug 5, 2021 • 26min
139 - STS-68 - Deja Vu and Big Kaboom (SRL-2)
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
Jul 22, 2021 • 32min
138 - STS-64 - Ghostbusters and Angry Russians (LITE, SPARTAN, SAFER)
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
