In 2008, NASA commissioned storyteller Jay O’Callahan to write a story to celebrate the national space agency’s 50th anniversary. It was a particularly fitting modality, as NASA scientists use storytelling to share the results of their research and projects with their colleagues.

The resulting work, entitled Forged in the Stars, features the stories of three prominent NASA personalities: J.C. High Eagle, a NASA engineer of Cherokee Indian heritage whose childhood dream was to help men land on the moon; astronaut Neil Armstrong in the 1969 Apollo moon landing; and the poignant story of New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe, who died in the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Further, the story explores the wondrous journey of the twin Voyager spacecraft, launched in 1977 with the goal of exploring Jupiter and Saturn, and continuing on to this day to places no other spacecraft has ever explored.

Forged in the Stars is the result of almost two years of research, including interviews with astronauts, engineers and many other NASA employees.

To read learn more about Forged in the Stars & find more of Jay O' Callahan's work,visit this website: www.ocallahan.com/forged-in-the-stars

Hear part one, here.

This episode also includes an interview with Todd Barber, Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Propulsion Engineer with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. To learn more about Todd and the work he does, visit this website: mars.nasa.gov