Liftoff

Liftoff

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Liftoff episodes

  • 11: Moon Phases & Tides

    This week, Jason explains how the phases of the moon work before wading into the weird world of tides.

    This episode of Liftoff is sponsored by:
    • Luminos: A fantastic astronomy app, 10 years in the making! Now with an Apple Watch app for skygazing!
    • Links and Show Notes Liftoff #9: The Space Shuttle - Relay FM Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 6 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Vandenberg Air Force Base - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Liftoff #10: The Solstice - Relay FM Falcon 9 First Stage Landing | From Helicopter - YouTube SpaceX Falcon 9 Returns to Flight, Sticks Landing at Cape Canaveral | The Planetary Society SpaceX’s reusable rockets will make space cheaper — but how much? | The Verge SpaceX graphic comparing Falcon 9 landing to pencil over Empire State Building Why you shouldn't compare Blue Origin's rocket landing to SpaceX | The Verge Insight: Introduction NASA's Next Mars Mission Delayed for Two Years | The Planetary Society InSight's Problems: Possible Impacts | The Planetary Society Amazon.com - AcuRite 02032CRM Pro Weather Station with PC Connect, Weather Ticker, Rain and Wind - Skywarn.org | SKYWARN® National | Severe Weather Spotters, Local SKYWARN® Groups, Severe Weather Information, SKYWARN® Training Lunar phase - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Moon phases en - Lunar phase - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Animation of our view of the moon Tide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tidalwaves1 - Tide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Bay of Fundy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
      47 min
    • 10: The Solstice

      To celebrate the Winter Solstice, Jason and Stephen talk all about the Earth's journey around the sun and how it affects all of our lives.

      This episode of Liftoff is sponsored by:
      • Luminos: A fantastic astronomy app, 10 years in the making! Now with an Apple Watch app for skygazing!
      • Links and Show Notes "Best of the Best" Provides New Views, Commentary of Shuttle Launches - YouTube Major Malfunction: Revisiting Challenger - Video - NYTimes.com The Challenger Disaster (TV Movie 2013) - IMDb The Space Review: Back from the brink: Akatsuki returns to Venus Congress wants to give NASA $19.3 billion next year, even more than Obama asked for | The Verge Scientists claimed they found elusive ‘Planet X.’ Doubting astronomers are in an uproar. - The Washington Post Planet X? Probably not, but weird readings spark debate Be an Astronaut: NASA Accepting Applications for Future Explorers | NASA USAJOBS - Search Jobs Liftoff #6: The Sun - Relay FM Axial tilt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Precession - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Solstice - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Equinox - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
        44 min
      • 9: The Space Shuttle

        This week, Stephen and Jason strap in and talk about NASA’s space shuttle program.

        This episode of Liftoff is sponsored by:
        • Luminos: A fantastic astronomy app, 10 years in the making! Now with an Apple Watch app for skygazing!
        • Links and Show Notes

          Coumbia embarks on STS-1 on April 12, 1981.

          Relay FM Membership

          Support your favorite space podcast!

          Liftoff Sticker — Relay FM Patrick Sullivan on Twitter: I am pretty excited about my new @liftoffpodcast sticker... Mars May Become a Ringed Planet Someday Fear of Phobos Falling — Medium [Correction] Huge Piece of SpaceX Debris Washed Up in UK Blue Origin | Historic Rocket Landing with Video Reusable Rockets: Space Travel's 'Holy Grail' Almost Here SpaceX wants to land next booster at Cape Canaveral H.R.2262 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress Private space companies avoid FAA oversight again, with Congress' blessing | The Verge Hayabusa 2 to Flyby the Earth Tomorrow Hayabusa2 views Earth and the Moon on approach to December 3 flyby | The Planetary Society Saved Japanese Probe Gets Final Chance to Orbit Venus : Discovery News After the show recorded, the Japanese spacecraft went into orbit around Venus Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço Those Blasts of Radio Waves from Deep Space? Not Aliens. – Phenomena: No Place Like Home Space Transportation System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia File:North American Rockwell P333.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia STS-1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Countdown (Rush song) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Approach and Landing Tests - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Meet the Rocket! | NASA Space Shuttle thermal protection system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia List of Space Shuttle missions - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Spacelab - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hubble Space Telescope - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hubble Space Telescope - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Image of Planned Space Shuttle Ground Processing Image of ACTUAL Space Shuttle Ground Processing Space Shuttle Challenger disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Christa McAuliffe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Image of grey smoke escaping from Challenger's right SRB Space Shuttle Columbia disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 'Forever Remembered' Shares Enduring Lessons of Challenger, Columbia | NASA "The Commander Thinks Aloud" -- 9 Years After the Columbia Disaster | WIRED Song Exploder | Episode 28: The Long Winters
          1 hr 21 min
        • 8: Halo of Junk

          Jason and Stephen talk about the not-so-impending doom facing Phobos and a bunch of other news before being joined by Emily Lakdawalla from The Planetary Society to discuss the future of solar system exploration.

          This episode of Liftoff is sponsored by:
          • Luminos: A fantastic astronomy app, 10 years in the making! Now with an Apple Watch app for skygazing!
          • The Freelancer’s Guide to Escaping Taxes, by Andrew Carroll
          • Guest Starring:

            Emily Lakdawalla

            Links and Show Notes Attempt no landing there? Yeah right—we’re going to Europa | Ars Technica Sophomore Lit » Blog Archive » 011 Cat’s Cradle Stanford astronomers observe the birth of an alien planet | Stanford News Release Earth-Like Exoplanet May Be Too Radiation-Blasted to Host Life An explosive quartet | ESA/Hubble Astrophoto: Space station photo gets a seismic jiggle. Space station suffers small power failure, but it can’t be fixed until next year | The Verge NASA’s New Horizons Yields Wealth of Discovery | NASA Mars’ Moon Phobos is Slowly Falling Apart | NASA NASA's Deputy Administrator discusses agency's road-map to Mars in exclusive interview - SpaceFlight Insider Astronomers spy most distant Solar System object ever : Nature News & Comment Emily Lakdawalla | The Planetary Society Emily Lakdawalla (@elakdawalla) | Twitter Homepage | The Planetary Society Blogs | The Planetary Society Planetary Radio Program Archives | The Planetary Society Europa (moon) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Enceladus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Uranus | Planets - NASA Solar System Exploration Neptune | Planets - NASA Solar System Exploration
            1 hr 12 min
          • 7: Still Probably Not Aliens

            A fortnight of news has passed, and Jason and Stephen are here to talk water in the solar system, Orion's progress, the 15th anniversary of crewed ISS missions and some new job openings at NASA.

            This episode of Liftoff is sponsored by:
            • Ting: Mobile that makes sense. Get $25 off a new device or $25 in Ting credit, by signing up at http://liftoff.ting.com.
            • The Freelancer’s Guide to Escaping Taxes, by Andrew Carroll
            • Links and Show Notes Play "Space Theme" yourself — Hair-Breened Ideas Live From Mars – We are the Martians! | 12 months, 6 scientists, 1 Hab. Welcome to "Mars" Dreaming of Blue: Water and Mars | Live From Mars – We are the Martians! SETI Institute Allen Telescope Array Checks Out Star KIC 8462852 | SETI Institute NASA | Thermonuclear Art – The Sun In Ultra-HD (4K) - YouTube Liftoff #6: The Sun - Relay FM Space: Water, Water Everywhere — but Does That Mean There’s Life? Earth's Oldest Crust Dates to 4.4 Billion Years Ago Earth's Oldest Crust Dates to 4.4 Billion Years Ago Seven Key Facts About Cassini's Oct. 28 'Plume Dive' | NASA Deepest-Ever Dive Through Enceladus Plume Completed | NASA Cassini Solstice Mission: Saturn's Geyser Moon Shines in Close Flyby Views Saturn's Geyser Moon Shines in Close Flyby Views | NASA Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy of Europa: The Distinct Spectrum of Large-scale Chaos Mike Brown's Planets: Whale bones on Europa Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mission to Europa | NASA NASA's Orion moves on to full-scale assembly and testing - SpaceFlight Insider CDR, Orange Rockets And A Sense of “Since” | Rocketology: NASA’s Space Launch System Space Launch System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Orange tank SLS evolution - Post CDR - Space Launch System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia NASA Releases Harrowing New Photos of Last Year’s Antares Rocket Explosion GoPro Hero Camera Captures Awesome Sight Of Antares Orb-3 Rocket Explosion - YouTube NASA: AJ26 turbopump likely to blame for loss of Orb-3 Antares - SpaceFlight Insider NASA Mission Reveals Speed of Solar Wind Stripping Martian Atmosphere | NASA Mars’ Atmosphere Stripped by Solar Winds, NASA Says - The New York Times 15 Years on Station | NASA International Space Station program - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia NASA denies Boeing a billion-dollar contract to resupply the ISS | The Verge Want to Be an Astronaut? NASA's Looking : Discovery News Be an Astronaut: NASA Seeks Explorers for Future Space Missions | NASA
              1 hr 1 min
            • 6: The Sun

              This week, Stephen and Jason answer some burning questions about the sun.

              This episode of Liftoff is sponsored by:
              • Luminos: A fantastic astronomy app, 10 years in the making! Now with an Apple Watch app for skygazing!
              • The Freelancer’s Guide to Escaping Taxes, by Andrew Carroll
              • Links and Show Notes

                image via NASA

                The Incomparable | Let's Hear It for Botanists (Episode 268) GROUND CONTROL (APOLLO ARCHIVE) 4K - YouTube NASA projects related to The Martian, complied by Liftoff listener Andrew NASA TechPort - Home Page Weird star: Strange dips in brightness are a bit baffling. Dyson sphere - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Search For Extraterrestrial Civilizations With Large Energy Supplies (PDF) New Horizons: First Pluto journal paper discusses dwarf planet's origins - BBC News The Pluto system: Initial results from its exploration by New Horizons DSCOVR: Daily pictures of the Earth from space. DSCOVR::EPIC::Earth Polychromatic Camera Image: The sun Image: The sun's zones Total Solar Eclipse - 14th November 2012 - philhart They Might Be Giants - Why Does the Sun Really Shine? (The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma) - YouTube The Sunspot Cycle - NASA/Marshall Solar Physics Image: Raining loops of plasma March 1989 geomagnetic storm - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Solar and Heliospheric Observatory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia TMBG-Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is A Mass of Incandescent Gas) original version lyrics - YouTube
                58 min
              • 5: 'The Martian'

                Forget the popcorn; grab your potatoes! This week, Jason and Stephen talk all about The Martian.

                This episode of Liftoff is sponsored by:
                • Luminos: A fantastic astronomy app, 10 years in the making! Now with an Apple Watch app for skygazing!
                • Ting: Mobile that makes sense. Get $25 off a new device or $25 in Ting credit, by signing up at http://liftoff.ting.com.
                • Links and Show Notes Project Apollo Archive’s albums | Flickr - Photo Sharing! The Project Apollo Archive Color-corrected Apollo images - Album on Imgur Nasa Apollo wallpapers - iPhone 6/s - Album on Imgur Script for downloading Apollo images HI-SEAS Inside NASA's Yearlong Isolation Dome - Tested Bio-Dome (1996) - IMDb Bed Rest Studies | NASA The Martian (2015) - IMDb Life on Mars: the VFX of The Martian | fxguide ‘The Martian’ author on seeing his ‘MacGyver on Mars’ story launch into Hollywood Finding new language for space missions that fly without humans The Incomparable: Man versus Mars
                  1 hr 13 min
                • 4: A Laptop Every Ten Years

                  Jason and Stephen gush over more Pluto photos and wish some Mars hardware a happy birthday before interviewing Rachel Binx from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

                  This episode of Liftoff is sponsored by:
                  • Luminos: A fantastic astronomy app, 10 years in the making! Now with an Apple Watch app for skygazing!
                  • ISS Finder: A simple and beautiful way to track the International Space Station.
                  • Guest Starring:

                    Rachel Binx

                    Links and Show Notes
                    • The Rich Color Variations of Pluto - NASA
                    • Large version of Pluto photo
                    • Perplexing Pluto: New ‘Snakeskin’ Image and More from New Horizons - NASA
                    • India's 1st Mars Mission Celebrates One Year at Red Planet
                    • ISRO Mars Orbiter Mission Objectives
                    • ISRO Orbital Vehicle
                    • NASA's MAVEN Celebrates One Year at Mars
                    • Watching The Martian on Space Station
                    • Nine Real NASA Technologies in 'The Martian'
                    • Interview with Rachel Binx

                      Rachel Binx is a data visualizer, developer, and designer. She works at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California.

                      • Rachel's website
                      • Jet Propulsion Lab
                      • Rachel Binx, Meshu/Gifpop! - XOXO Festival (2014)
                      • Rachel Binx: Making sense (and art) of big data - The Daily Dot
                      • Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) - NASA
                      • Cassini
                      • SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) Radar
                      • Dawn space probe
                      • 50 min
                      • 3: Poke His Twin

                        Jason and Stephen catch up on some of the latest space news, including classic NASA design specs, the new Boeing Starliner, a year-long mission to the International Space Station, and new pictures from Pluto.

                        This episode of Liftoff is sponsored by:
                        • Luminos: A fantastic astronomy app, 10 years in the making! Now with an Apple Watch app for skygazing!
                        • Links and Show Notes Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control From Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond: Gene Kranz: 9781439148815: Amazon.com: Books The First Men on the Moon: The Apollo 11 Lunar Landing Did an astronaut enter space? Get a notification! by alexander - IFTTT I'll wait, my dear, till it's my turn - All this NOAA's SciJinks :: What causes tides? Reissue of the 1975 NASA Graphics Standards Manual. by Jesse Reed & Hamish Smyth — Kickstarter NASA on Twitter: "Remember the worm? Take a look back at our 1976 styleguide @NASAHistory dug from our archive: http://t.co/Mk1WkdSxzx http://t.co/cwo16Oqogw" Enter the Starliner: Boeing names its commercial spaceship | Spaceflight Now Boeing Revamps Production Facility for Starliner Flights | NASA SpaceX Pad Abort Test - YouTube Pad Abort Test | Point of View - YouTube SpaceX shows off snazzy Dragon capsule for manned missions One Year Crew | NASA Twins Study | NASA Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) | Twitter Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) • Instagram photos and videos NASA | Human Research Program - How Astronauts are Affected by Space Exploration Space Stress: How 1-Year Mission Is Studying Astronaut Health Kelly takes command of International Space Station - SpaceFlight Insider Soyuz TMA-16M trio return back to Earth | NASASpaceFlight.com Pluto: New images from New Horizons. Newest Pluto pictures show what may be huge blocks of ice | The Seattle Times
                          46 min
                        • 2: The Moon

                          Jason and Stephen talk about Earth's closest neighbor, the Moon.

                          This episode of Liftoff is sponsored by:
                          • Luminos: A fantastic astronomy app, 10 years in the making! Now with an Apple Watch app for skygazing!
                          • Links and Show Notes Liftoff - Relay FM Liftoff (@liftoffpodcast) | Twitter Baikonur Cosmodrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia About the Space theme — Hair-Breened Ideas Remixing Chris Breen's beautiful 'Space Theme' podcast music — Keith Bradnam NASA technologies star in One Direction's music video NASA — Tour NASA with One Direction One Direction - Drag Me Down - YouTube Why Do We Only See One Side of the Moon? - YouTube

                            The "adorable" video of how the moon's axis and orbit mean we only ever see one side of it.

                            The Moon And Tides Theia (planet) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

                            The Mars-sized object that (maybe) smashed into Earth to help form the moon.

                            Far side of the Moon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Chandrayaan-1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia List of missions to the Moon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia List of proposed missions to the Moon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mining the Moon | MIT Technology Review Apollo 13: James Lovell, Jeffrey Kluger: 9780618619580: Amazon.com: Books A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts: Andrew Chaikin, Tom Hanks: 9780143112358: Amazon.com: Books Apollo 13 (1995) - IMDb From the Earth to the Moon (TV Mini-Series 1998) - IMDb Seveneves: A Novel: Neal Stephenson: 9780062190376: Amazon.com: Books Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan - Baen Books Moon (2009) - IMDb 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - IMDb
                            54 min

                          About Liftoff

                          From the publisher's feed

                          Liftoff was a podcast about space, the universe, and everything. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand the major developments as explained by enthusiastic space fans Stephen Hackett…

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