Moonstruck

Moonstruck is a podcast about humans in space. Hear from astronauts, engineers, politicians, and space decision-makers as they tell their stories from the history of human spaceflight, sharing how their time at the edge of human understanding taught them about themselves and the rest of us on the ground.

The Hand-Me-Down Space Suit 10/10/2018

The Hand-Me-Down Space Suit Unlike the major human spaceflight missions that came before it, the International Space Station didn't come with new space suits. Now almost 40 years old, the space suits on board have their own stories to tell. In 2013, one of them suffered a close call during a space walk, almost drowning an astronaut in the process. Now, as NASA looks forward to the next generation of human spaceflight, the iconic white space suit may become a relic of the past. /episode/index/show/moonstruck/id/7149990

Disaster Strikes 09/19/2018

Disaster Strikes NASA's Space Shuttle has launched more astronauts to outer space than all other space vehicles combined. But instead of being remembered as a workhorse for human spaceflight, the its legacy is stained with tragedy. On February 1, 2003, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe was on the runway waiting for the Columbia Space Shuttle to return home. Instead of greeting the world's newest space pioneers and welcoming them back to Earth, he was tasked with informing their families and friends of their terrible fate. /episode/index/show/moonstruck/id/7063463

The Privilege to Launch 05/23/2018

The Privilege to Launch After the Soviet Union launched the first woman to space in 1963, the U.S. waited over twenty years to do the same. Despite their proven fitness to live and work in the space environment, women were not considered for early NASA missions. Decades later, the NASA astronaut corps still faces diversity challenges. Poised to become the first African American to complete a full-duration mission to the International Space Station, astronaut Jeanette Epps was pulled from her launch in 2018. /episode/index/show/moonstruck/id/6625851

Space Germs 04/25/2018

Space Germs When the Apollo 11 astronauts landed on Earth's surface after humankind's first trip to the Moon, their journey wasn't over yet. Concerned about the possibility of lunar pathogens infecting the astronauts, NASA scientists quarantined the crew members for 21 days. Now, as humans prepare to return to the Moon decades later, we're faced with a different kind of planetary protection issue: preventing the spread of our own germs to other worlds. /episode/index/show/moonstruck/id/6519856

Bodies in Orbit 04/04/2018

Bodies in Orbit Before there was Yuri, there was Laika. When the first human astronaut left Earth’s atmosphere in 1961, both the American and Soviet space programs had spent years testing the environment with animal passengers. Now, as we push deeper into space, the human body confronts new challenges. This time, in the era of long-term space travel, we're the test subjects. /episode/index/show/moonstruck/id/6442924

Space is Dangerous 03/21/2018

Space is Dangerous Throughout history, humans have had a dangerous pattern of challenging the bounds of Earth's gravity, testing our limits, and expanding our world. In 1965, two nations raced to complete the first space walk; that is, sending an astronaut outside of the spacecraft's cabin, and into open space. /episode/index/show/moonstruck/id/6389559

Welcome to Moonstruck 03/14/2018

Welcome to Moonstruck Coming March 21. /episode/index/show/moonstruck/id/6342545

Moonstruck

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