Jack Parsons’s involvement in sexmagick threatens his position at Aerojet. And his troubles at home reach a breaking point when a red-haired, thirtysomething science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard walks into his world… and catches the eye of Jack’s girlfriend.

Women trailblazers in aerospace often weren’t credited — including one woman who accomplished critical work with the Suicide Squad: Barbara Canright. This episode explores her contributions, as well as those of two other women pioneers in the field.

While Frank Malina struggles with the militarization of his work, Jack Parsons is not so bothered. Instead, he's having the time of his life enjoying the Squad’s success and giving in entirely to hedonism and Sexmagick. It's all fun and games until the FBI starts investigating.

Frank Malina is wracked with inner conflict over working for the military. His calls for scientific advancement for the purpose of bettering humanity fall on deaf ears, which leads him to embrace a political philosophy that the US government is increasingly hostile towards.

The semi-successful Halloween test earns the squad some legitimacy and some money. Without consistent funding, though, the Suicide Squad breaks up before they've really gotten started. Until the U.S. government is caught off guard by the Nazis’ technological advancements and decides it needs to accelerate its own rocketry production — fast. 

Meet the Suicide Squad: Jack Parsons, Frank Malina, and their crew. They're a band of young engineers, chemists, and mathematicians who saw the limitless potential of aerospace before the field was even a field. In an effort to earn credibility, the squad plans a dramatic experiment — a critical proof of concept — to showcase a technology they believe could be the future of humanity. Will it succeed — or fail spectacularly?  

From NASA sending astronauts to the moon to billionaires launching themselves into space, there’s something about the cosmos that inspires people to attempt the impossible. But none of those things might have happened if it weren’t for a group of unsung engineers in Pasadena back in the 1930s. They risked it all for the sake of blowing stuff up and changing the world. They were known as the “Suicide Squad.” This is their story.

In the last episode of our guest podcast series, we feature NPR’s Alt.Latino podcast, a show all about Latinx culture and music. On this episode, hosts Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre sit down with Mexican singer-songwriter Carla Morrison. They talk about her return to music after a four-year break, during which she was dealing with depression. Carla also discusses her story of rebirth following a sudden move to Paris, how she approaches mental health in life and music, and how Renaissance art inspired her latest project.

This week, we feature an episode of YR Media’s Adult ISH, a culture, advice and storytelling podcast hosted by “almost-adults” tackling topics all about ... you guessed it ... adulting! This episode is about preparing for life post-incarceration. First, co-host Nygel Turner talks with Earlonne Woods, the host of the award-winning Ear Hustle podcast, about how he readjusted to life after prison. Earlonne also shares his thoughts on justice reform. Then, co-host Dominique French speaks with University of California, Berkeley student Natalie Verducci about finding help and healing through the Berkeley Underground Scholars program. 

Snooze is still on a break. But for the next few weeks, we're bringing you some podcast episodes you’ll enjoy! In the first episode in our series, we feature NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour. On the episode, you'll hear all about Rap Sh!t, an HBO Max series that Snooze host Megan Tan loves.

Pop Culture Happy Hour co-host Aisha Harris and panelist Sidney Madden take us into the world of Rap Sh!t, which is about two aspiring female rappers in Miami. On the show, Shawn and Mia (played by Aida Osman and KaMillion) face challenges as they try to break into the music industry together. Though they face adversity in work and love, the two support each other through it all — and capture their journeys with smartphones, no less.