Talking Space

One week, three crafts, one planet. On this first episode of Season 13 we're aiming for Mars. We discuss three successful missions arriving at the red planet within one week of each other, the "Hope" mission from the United Arab Emirates, China's Tianwen-1 Mission, and the most discussed mission of the three, NASA's Perseverance Rover. We go into all of the amazing firsts so far, and what the miss...

Better late than never, so here's an episode full of launch and landing audio! We begin with the launches Talking Space was fortunate to be at, including the first launch of the upgraded SpaceX Cargo Dragon, the much delayed Delta IV Heavy carrying NROL-44, and a launch and Return to Launch Site (RTLS) landing of a Falcon 9 booster from NROL-108. We also discuss the recent launch and landing attem...

From the Earth to the Space Station to the Moon, Talking Space is proud to be a part of history! On this episode of Talking Space, we discuss the successful launch of the Crew-1 mission, sending four astronauts to the International Space Station. We discuss all of the major historical achievements made during this mission. We also discuss what the atmosphere is like at the press site for a crew la...

On this episode of Talking Space, we go from the high-highs of space exploration to the low-lows of launch scrubs. We begin with the announcement of water being found on the light side of the moon. We talk about the unique way it was actually discovered...and what we need to know before we can mine it and use it during future missions. Then it's onto the continuing story of OSIRIS-REx, which succe...

On this episode of Talking Space, we tackle two major stories, the launch of Mars 2020 and the landing of Crew Dragon Endeavour. We start with the launch of the Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity helicopter. We look at some of the unique items onboard, as well as listen to the launch audio we recorded from a few miles away. In addition to the mission, we talk about what it's like to cover a laun...

On this episode of Talking Space, the main focus is on Mars as three countries send missions to the red planet. We discuss the United Arab Emirates first mission to the red planet and the implications it has for the country and that part of the world. We then discuss China's mission which was also launched, their first solo mission to Mars, and discuss where their space program stands right now an...

The “band” is back together to review some breaking news on the launch date for NASA’s upcoming Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. We talk about the activities on the International Space Station, where NASA Astronauts Chris Cassidy performed a 6-hour 7-minute spacewalk to replace a set of lithium-ion batteries on the facility’s S6 truss. Completing this work will leave the ISS in an exemplary power con...

On this special episode of Talking Space, we devote the entire episode to the successful launch of Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station. The crew successfully launched in their Crew Dragon capsule on Demo-2, marking the first time humans have launched from the US since the end of the shuttle program in 2011. We go through the differences between Space Shuttle and Crew Dra...

With astronauts set to return to space from U.S. soil for the first time in almost nine years, Talking Space is going back through the archives to bring you never-before-heard episodes on what it took to get to the historic Demo-2 launch in May 2020. For this episode, we go back to January 2020 when SpaceX tested the in-flight abort capabilities of their Crew Dragon capsule. Hear what it sounded l...

With astronauts set to return to space from U.S. soil for the first time in almost nine years, Talking Space is going back through the archives to bring you never-before-heard episodes on what it took to get to the historic Demo-2 launch in May 2020. For this episode, we go back to March 2019 for the Demo-1 mission. This was the uncrewed version of the Demo-2 mission, instead with a "test dummy" o...

In this installment of Talking Space, on the very day fifty years ago we look back at the accomplishment that was the Apollo 12 mission by letting its crew Mission Commander Charles " Pete" Conrad, Command Module Pilot Richard Gordon, and Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean tell their "travelers tales" to us during a post-flight press conference.  Apollo 12 did a lot more than simply get hit lightning on...

In this special edition of Talking Space, we look back into the NASA audio archives and discover a hidden gem that might get lost in United States space flight history.  On November 9, 1967, months after the United States lost three intrepid explorers duing a spacecraft test , The Apollo Progam arose like the mythical phoenix and launched the most powerfull launch vehicle the world had ever seen,...

After examining the current launch log book and going over some significant breaking news with the Mars Exploration Rover Mission and NASA's current lunar aspirations , the team discusses the latest findings from the New Horizons mission. We then celebrate the naming of the European Space Agency's Exomars mission rover.   The ExoMars set for a 2020 launch attempt will be called the Rosalind Frankl...

In this special edition of Talking Space, we talk to the man who was for many years was the voice of Shuttle Launch Control at the Kennedy Space Center, Mr. Hugh Harris. Born in December of 1932 he served as an information specialist with the US Army from 1952 until 1954 and graduated from Western Reserve University in Ohio in 1956.  Mr. Harris worked as a reporter for a metropolitan daily newspap...

In this special edition of Talking Space, we observe the anniversary of Apollo 1 allowing the crew to tell their own story and talk to us through courtesy of the NASA Internet Audio Archive.  While launch preparations for Apollo 1 were underway, NASA had held a press conference with the prime crew of what was then called Apollo-Saturn 204 Command Pilot: Virgil I. Grissom Senior Pilot: Edward H. Wh...

The Talking Space Team says hello to 2019 with a wrap up of 2018 launch activities and a very spirited discussion of what the future may bring in the area of commercial space launch here in the US with new major players coming on the field. How will they fair against the international commercial launch services companies long term for new business?  We’ll travel with New Horizons spacecraft to Ult...

What would Talking Space sound like if it were able to reach across the gulf of time to 1968 fifty years ago and cover the Apollo 8 mission: humanity’s first piloted spacecraft to successful orbit the Moon and return home to Earth?  That is what this episode tries to answer bringing to you some of the historic moments from the Apollo 8 mission, the first to carry humans beyond Earth’s gravity well...

Back in mid -August of 2018 as a phalanx of reporters and social media attendees awaited the launch of the Parker Solar Probe, we were all given a grand opportunity to listen to and glean a little wisdom from Dr. Eugene Parker, the spacecraft’s namesake. Dr. Parker’s contributions unveiled the supersonic nature of the  Sun’s solar wind, an observation he was at first ridiculed for but eventually w...

On this episodes we may be mentioning routine launches but it's anything but routine as we return for a news round-up. On this episode we begin our launch round-up with some past and present SpaceX launches, including the Telstar-18V launch and the upcoming first RTLS mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. We also check in on our rover friends on Mars, Opportunity and Curiosity. One...

It's not just about getting to the sun, it's about the people behind the mission making it all happen. That's what this episode of Talking Space is all about. We speak with four integral members of the Parker Solar Probe team. The mission launched successfully in early August. To hear more about the mission along with the spectacular Delta IV Heavy launch audio, be sure to check out Part 1 in Epis...

On part one of this extremely special three-part Talking Space, hear the sound of a Delta IV Heavy launching a mission to the sun and hear from the scientists behind it! We begin with the successful launch of the Parker Solar Probe mission, which is set to "touch the sun". This mission will set many records, and you'll hear all about them. You'll hear about the delays and the successes, including...

This episode of Talking Space takes you to all the major launches, some launches which may be facing unexpected delays, and the launch of a kickstarter based on a great book. We begin with our launch round-up, featuring a record-setting docking to the ISS, two launches in 24 hours in China, as well as the undocking of the final Orbital ATK Cygnus to the ISS...or is it the first Northrop Grumman Cy...

From launch rates to renamings and of course two major announcements from the red planet, it's another jam-packed Talking Space. We begin with our launch round-up, including China, Japan, and two manned missions. We discuss the return of Expedition 55 and the launch of Expedition 56 and what will make that mission unique. Then we look at SpaceX's recent launches, including their first ever Block 5...

What do you get after one month away? A boat load of news and some amazing interviews for our return from spring break. We begin looking at the launches of the last month from all corners of the globe. We check out many of the major launch providers and their most recent missions. We also discuss the recent improvements in the quality of their webcasts and our thoughts on what that means for outre...

50 Falcons, falling stations, private ISS, the dreaded NASA budget and a lot of hate mail...all in one episode!  On this episode of Talking Space, we begin with our launch round-up including GOES-S, the 50th Falcon 9 launch, and the return of three crewmembers from the ISS and the preparations for the next launch later this month. Then it's onto a creepy talking head that'll be soon heading to the...