Columbia reaches orbit. But astronaut Bob Crippen discovers that the shuttle has been damaged – can he and John Young make it home safely?

Parts of the heatshield to protect the shuttle from searing temperatures on re-entry to Earth have fallen off during the journey into space. This new heatshield has never been tested before in orbit. Could more tiles be missing?

Some scenes in this series use recreated sound effects.

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for BBC World Service.

Hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Archive:

The astronauts count down to flying a brand-new spacecraft for the very first time. If they pull it off, they will earn a place in space history.

The rocket is built. The astronauts are trained. Mission control is ready. Space Shuttle Columbia is about to attempt the unheard of. A crewed test flight.

Everyone at Nasa has been waiting almost a decade for this day. It’s taken an army of designers, engineers, ground crew, flight controllers, and backroom staff to get to this point. To bring this vehicle to life. Will this new machine fly?

This episode contains scenes some listeners may find upsetting.

Some scenes in this series use recreated sound effects.

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for BBC World Service.

Hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Archive:

Can Nasa build the most complex flying machine in space history? The plan is to create a permanent human presence in space.

It’s Spring 1969 - two months before the launch of Apollo 11 – the first US mission to land humans on the moon. But meanwhile, hidden away from public view, Nasa is thinking the unthinkable.

Maverick engineer Dr Max Faget is already a legend within Nasa. He’s fascinated by what could be next for human spaceflight. In a backroom, of Building 36 at Johnson Space Center, he invites a handful of engineers to a meeting. One of them is Ivy Hooks, a mathematician and engineer. And one of the first female engineers at Nasa.

Some scenes in this series use recreated sound effects.

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for BBC World Service.

Hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Archive:

To launch like a rocket and land like a plane. The space shuttle: A sci-fi dream that became reality and changed spaceflight forever. Told by the Nasa astronauts, engineers, scientists and support staff who made it happen.

Our multi award-winning podcast returns on 14 July 2025 with: 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle. Presented by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock. She tells the story of triumph and tragedy, and the human story behind the technology and scientific endeavour.

A BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service.

Season 3 theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Archive: Mission audio and oral histories, Nasa History Office.

News about the next season and our live episode recording at The Podcast Show 2023 in London. What would you like to ask space shuttle astronaut and engineer Kay Hire? Kay became the 34th woman to fly in space when she flew as a mission specialist aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. She returned to orbit aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. What questions do you have for her about the space shuttle, or perhaps the plans to return to the Moon and even reach Mars? You can submit your question via our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/13minutes

Can the Apollo 13 crew survive re-entering Earth’s atmosphere aboard the revived Odyssey spacecraft? After four days in a spacecraft with dwindling power and oxygen supplies, the astronauts face a series of critical tests on their journey home. One mistake could see Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise incinerated or lost forever in deep space. In the final moments of radio silence, Nasa mission control begins to fear the worst.

Hosted by Kevin Fong.

Archive: Nasa

Written by Kevin Fong and Andrew Luck-Baker

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music

A BBC Radio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service.

Nasa flight controller John Aaron talks to Kevin Fong about the ill-fated Apollo mission, from the moment of learning about the explosion to his fears during the spacecraft’s final descent through the Earth’s atmosphere.

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell talks to Kevin Fong about the doomed Nasa mission, from the shocking moment of the explosion to the enormous relief of splashdown. Lovell reflects on survival, the global impact of Apollo 13, and what it meant to finally come back to Earth. He also shares the story of the lunar landmark he named in honour of his wife.

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music.

The Apollo 13 spacecraft goes off course. With no computer to guide them, the astronauts must rely on their flying skills to perform a high-stakes manoeuvre, timed with Commander Jim Lovell’s wristwatch, to get them back on target. If they fail, they risk being marooned in space. Their spaceflight home hangs in the balance.

Hosted by Kevin Fong.

Archive: Nasa

Written by Kevin Fong and Chris Browning

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music.

A BBC Radio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service.

Nasa mission control helps Apollo 13’s cold, exhausted astronauts survive deadly carbon dioxide levels in the spacecraft. The constant troubleshooting to stay alive has taken its toll, and the crew of Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise are at the limits of human endurance. Back home in Houston, the Nasa flight surgeon is so worried about the astronauts’ lack of sleep that he turns to Marilyn Lovell with an unusual request.

For a film about how the crew made the makeshift CO2 adaptors: www.bbcworldservice.com/13minutes

Presented by Kevin Fong.

Archive: Nasa

Starring:

Written by Kevin Fong and Chris Browning

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Produced by the BBC Radio Science Unit for the BBC World Service.