13 Minutes to the Moon

Why everyone wants to get back to the moon - a special episode with Kevin Fong. The United States has just returned to the moon for the first time in 50 years. But they are not the only country in the world with their sights set on space exploration. Why are countries like India, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia trying to complete their own lunar landings? Katya Adler speaks with Kevin Fong and Jonathan Amos, the BBC’s science correspondent. To hear more episodes, search for The Global Story, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

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

“I still have nightmares about this.” Can the crew survive the dangers of re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere? An error could see them either incinerated or becoming lost forever in deep space. #13MinutestotheMoon

Special episode with Nasa legend, flight controller John Aaron.

Special episode with Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell. An extended interview.

The crew are off course, 200,000 miles from home and without a guidance computer. Their lives now depend on their flying skills - and Jim Lovell’s wristwatch. #13MinutestotheMoon

“We were being poisoned by our own exhalation.” Carbon dioxide threatens to kill the crew. Mission control must improvise as the most fragile system of all is under threat: the astronauts themselves. #13MinutestotheMoon

Power must be brutally rationed after the crew fly around the Moon. As systems are switched off, their cold, dark ship is reduced to little more than a husk coasting in space. #13MinutestotheMoon

The astronauts are fighting for their lives. As the oxygen level plummets, they must escape to the lunar lander. It's a desperate act of survival for which the crew has never trained. #13MinutestotheMoon

“We were in deep, deep trouble.” This is Mission Control like you’ve never heard it before. After the explosion, denial and disbelief turn to dread.