Failure To Launch

Failure To Launch episodes:

• 05.31.2024

  Part 1: The Apollo 1 Disaster

  *CONTENT WARNING* A rushed development process, a faulty design, and non-existent quality control. This week, we're joined by space industry engineer Kyle (Skyhawk) to talk about the leadup and events of the Apollo 1 disaster. Sources: - NASA Report on AS-204 - Chariots...

  
• 05.17.2024

  Balloonomania 2: The Pre-Space Race

  Did you know that Ballooning was once an Olympic sport? This week, we're rejoined by Nicholas Slayton (@nslayton) to talk about balloons, specifically all the people who died trying to conquer the Stratosphere. Find Nicholas' work here and here! Support FTL through...

  
• 05.09.2024

  *PREVIEW* Solaris (1972)

  This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch

  
• 05.03.2024

  Max Valier: The Space Evangelist

  Non-failure topic this week as Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris talk about Max Valier, the Austrian dude largely responsible for popularizing space research, creating the first professional rocket program, and riding rocket cars. Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus...

  
• 04.17.2024

  Part 2: Soyuz 11 Disaster (w/ Beyond the Breakers)

  *CONTENT WARNING* This week, we're back with Taylor and Tanner of the Beyond the Breakers podcast for part 2 of our series on Soyuz 11. Follow Beyond the Breakers here Support FTL through Patreon and unlock new bonus content Sources: - Salyut - The...

  
• 04.04.2024

  Part 1: Soyuz 11 Disaster (w/ Beyond the Breakers)

  The story of the world's first space station is complicated, tragic, and incredibly stupid. Today, we're joined by Tanner and Taylor from @beyond_breakers to talk about it. Follow Beyond the Breakers here! Support FTL through Patreon and unlock new bonus content! Sources: -...

  
• 03.29.2024

  *PREVIEW* Teens In The Universe (1974)

  This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch

  
• 03.21.2024

  Balloonomania (w. Nicholas Slayton)

  The French were the first to fly and it made them really weird about balloons. This episode, we're joined by journalist @NSlayton to talk all about the first balloons and aeronauts. Find Nicholas' work here and here! Support FTL through Patreon...

  
• 03.08.2024

  Operation Argus: The Great America Death Cloud (w. Phrosphor)

  What if America got so scared they let a Greek elevator repairman turn off the sky? In this episode, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are joined by guest youtuber Phrosphor to talk all about Operation Argus, the Cold War plan...

  
• 02.22.2024

  The Soviet Death Star (w. Lions Led By Donkeys)

  Iron Sky was alarmingly close to being a documentary. This week, Quinn is joined by Joe and Tom, the hosts of Lions Led By Donkeys to talk about all the ways the Soviets tried to put weapons in space. It...

  
• 02.20.2024

  *PREVIEW* Moscow-Cassiopeia (1973)

  This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch Turns out there were a lot of Soviet space teen movies. And some of them are even good.

  
• 02.15.2024

  Sea Dragon Part 2: Bob Truax

  Last time, we talked about the biggest rocket ever designed. This time, we're rejoined by guest Scott to talk about the lunatic who designed it, Bob Truax. Also making appearances in this story: Johnny Carson, Evel Knievel, Robert Goddard, and...

  
• 01.24.2024

  Sea Dragon Part 1: The Big Dumb Booster

  The 60s was a time for scientists and engineers to ask the tough questions. Questions like: what if a rocket was so big it was a railroad? This episode, we're joined by friend of the show and rocket engineer Scott...

  
• 01.12.2024

  *PREVIEW* Planet of the Storms (1962)

  This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/posts/96333556?pr=true If you ever wanted to see a dude drill a venusian rabbit-lizard with a WW1-era handgun, we've got you covered.

  
• 01.12.2024

  Forgotten Cosmonauts Pt 2: Grigory Nelyubov

  Couldn't have happened to a worse guy (still didn't deserve to be airbrushed). Today Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris start off 2024 by talking about Grigory Nelyubov, the cosmonaut who fell from grace and got written out of history for...

  
• 12.22.2023

  Comet & Joke: The Soviet Christmas Miracle

  A few days before Christmas in 1960, a pair of Soviet space dogs (Comet and Joke) were launched toward orbit to pave the way for Yuri Gagarin. To every listener of FTL, thank you, have good holidays however you celebrate...

  
• 12.19.2023

  Forgotten Cosmonauts: Valentin Bondarenko

  In the early 60s, the Soviets convinced the world their space program worked flawlessly by only announcing successes and covering up all failures. This policy extended to the people who worked for them. In this short series, we'll be looking...

  
• 11.13.2023

  Operation Third Bridge (W. RedEye Reviews)

  In late 1944, the Polish Home Army undertook one of the coolest resistance missions in WW2: stealing an entire V2 rocket and smuggling it to the UK. This episode, we're joined by @RedeyeReviewer to talk about a story that really...

  
• 11.02.2023

  The Engineer Who Built Saddam a Supergun (w. BobbyBroccoli)

  From space engineer to arms dealer to the pawn of a dictator. This episode, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris talk to documentary maker BobbyBroccoli about the story of Gerald Bull, the most infamous figure in Canadian space history.

  
• 09.28.2023

  Enos: The Meanest Chimponaut (w. Francis Horton)

  When most people think "space chimp" they probably think of Ham, the friendly cuddly primate that paved the way for American astronauts. They don't think of the mean one. In today's episode, we're joined by podcast host Francis Horton (@ArmyStrang)...

  
• 09.14.2023

  Packing For Mars: Interview w. Mary Roach

  On today's episode, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are joined by award-winning author Mary Roach to talk about her book Packing For Mars as well as the more secretive side of astronaut culture. Check out Mary's writing here.

  
• 08.31.2023

  Part 2: OTRAG w. Nate Bethea

  Today, we're back talking to podcast host and producer Nate Bethea about OTRAG, the world's first private launch company, the weird dictators they worked with, and a lot more crocodiles than you'd expect. Sources: Projet Wotan, Joelle Stolz

  
• 08.15.2023

  Part 1: OTRAG w. Nate Bethea

  Today, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are joined by Nate Bethea to talk about OTRAG, the first private rocket company. In Part 1, we cover the origins of Lutz Kayser and all the Nazis and dictators he worked with. Sources: Great...

  
• 07.17.2023

  Who Was Yuri Gagarin? w. Dr Andrew Jenks

  The Soviet everyman. The first Soviet sex symbol. The boyish Russian nationalist. The first man in space played a lot of roles. In this episode, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris talk to space historian Andrew Jenks to try to get...

  
• 06.19.2023

  FTL Short: Russia's Uranus Battalion

  In a bid to find more soldiers to send to Ukraine, Russia has found an interesting new recruitment pool: rocket scientists. In this experimental short, Quinn talks briefly about Roscosmos' new Uran Battalion and the 60 year old men being...

  
• 06.05.2023

  The Rocket Scientist Gang War w. Tom O’Mahony

  As the Cultural Revolution threw China into chaos, no institution was immune, not even their highly-secretive rocket program. In this episode we talk to Tom O'Mahony, host of the 33rd County and Beneath The Skin podcasts, about how China's rocket...

  
• 05.26.2023

  The First Moon Race w. Andrew LePage

  The first Moon Race wasn't to land people. It wasn't even to land. In the late 1950s, the Soviets and Americans raced to see who could be the first to slam satellites into the Moon at Mach 10. In this...

  
• 05.18.2023

  Part 2: Soyuz 1 & Vladimir Komarov

  Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris finish up their coverage of Soyuz 1 and Vladimir Komarov, the first man to die during a space mission. We also talk about the hundreds of dumb conspiracy theories that popped up around Soyuz 1,...

  
• 04.30.2023

  Part 1: Soyuz 1 & Vladimir Komarov

  The cosmonaut who cursed the Soviet Union as he burned alive. The friend who died to protect Yuri Gagarin. The lump of carbon in an open casket. There are a lot of stories out there about Vladimir Komarov and Soyuz...

  
• 04.13.2023

  Space Hygiene

  This episode, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris talk about the history of Space Hygiene and the worst space mission that everyone survived. Topics covered include: The Soviet and American test subjects who didn't bathe for science The Gemini 7 astronauts...

  
• 02.08.2023

  BION: How PETA Killed A Space Program

  This episode we cover the history of the longest-running cooperation in space history, BION, as well as the endangered species it launched into space and the people who chained themselves to a door to shut it down. Sources: Animals in...

  
• 01.08.2023

  Part 2: Vanguard - America's Failed Answer to Sputnik

  The Navy tries to launch a grapefruit into orbit, an Army general LARPs as a Bond villain, and America's first satellite launch comes down to the dumbest photo-finish in space history. Part 2/2 of our series on Project Vanguard, the...

  
• 11.27.2022

  The History of Space Toilets

  The story of probably the funniest and worst field in space science. We cover the history of space toilets from the Gemini "Defecation Glove" to the Shuttle Toilet-Blender. Show Notes - Packing For Mars, Mary Roach - How Do You Go To...

  
• 10.24.2022

  Part 1: Vanguard - America's Failed Answer to Sputnik

  Project Vanguard, the US Navy's plan to put a satellite in orbit, isn't one of those space stories that's well-remembered and with good reason - it was a historic failure and a national embarrassment. Needless to say, we were interested....

  
• 10.06.2022

  Gerhard Zucker and His Killer Mail Rocket

  In this episode, we take a look into the idea of delivering mail by rocket. It's a story of colonialism, Nazis, scammers, stamp collectors, and possibly the dumbest/coolest conman of all time. 

  
• 09.13.2022

  French Cyborg Space Cats

  Most people know about Laika the space dog or ham the astrochimp. What most people don't know about are the cyberpunk animals of the French Space Program. This episode, we explore CERMA, the Hammaguir launch site, and the various endangered...

  
• 09.07.2022

  The History of Space Guns

  The Soviets came up with some truly innovative ways to protect their cosmonauts and space stations. This episode, we dig through a layer of Cold War secrecy and cover-ups to bring you the history of space guns. From cosmonaut Alexei...

  
• 08.29.2022

  Part 2: Cosmos 954 - Operation Morning Light (or How Not To Handle A Nuclear Disaster)

  Part 2 of our 2 part series. In 1978, a Soviet spy satellite carrying weapons-grade uranium slammed into Canada's Northwest Territories. This episode, we talk about the scientists, soldiers, and psychics who signed on with Operation Morning Light to clean...

  
• 07.31.2022

  Part 1: Cosmos 954 - Raining Radiation on Canada's Arctic

  This series, we are doing a deep dive on Cosmos 954, the Soviet spy satellite carrying a nuclear reactor that deorbited and crashed into Canada's Northwest Territories. In Part 1, we focus on the satellite itself, how it failed, and...

  
• 07.19.2022

  Sputnik 2, Laika, and the Soviet Space Dog Program

  This episode, we take a look at the history of Sputnik 2 as well as the the Soviet answer to Project Albert: the Canine Cosmonaut program. Topics covered include: - How Korolev designed, built, and launched a satellite in less than...

  
• 07.08.2022

  Part Three: The First (and Worst) Satellite - Sputnik Panic

  This episode, we finish our three-part series on Sputnik 1 and the people, politics, and egos that launched the Space Race. Topics covered include: - The decisions that made Sputnik 1 the perfect propaganda tool and worthless as a scientific...

  
• 06.17.2022

  Part 2: The First (And Worst) Satellite

  In this episode, we continue our investigation into Sputnik 1, its troubled development, and the politics that went into world's first satellite. Topics covered include: - Khrushchev being so sold on rockets he slashes the Red Army by a third - Rival...

  
• 06.03.2022

  Propaganda & The Cult of Yuri Gagarin

  Back from an extended hiatus, we take a look at the cult that developed around Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. Topics covered include: - Gagarin's folk tale-worthy landing and the subsequent cover-up - Gagarin's father being demoted to...

  
• 11.16.2021

  Part One: The First (And Worst) Satellite

  Between super-heavy lifters, centrifuges throwing shells into space, or hypersonic warheads, this is a time of Sputnik Moments - moments in history that represent a great leap in science. But what about the first Sputnik Moment? What about the satellite...

  
• 09.13.2021

  Failure To Launch Pilot: Heaps Of Dead Monkeys

  No better way to start off than to dive into the wonderful world of animal experimentation. In Episode Zero, Quinn and Chris go over America's Project Albert, Nazi rockets cobbled together from spare parts, so many dead monkeys, and much...