The Flight Deck

Apollo 12 Astronaut Pete Conrad has a lot to live up to. NASA’s idea of the astronaut image meant that the astronauts needed to conform to specific ideas of the ideal American.

Nancy Conrad, Pete’s wife, talks about her late husband and all the Apollo astronauts who had live the “astronaut image,” at least publicly, and how that impacted their lives and the lives of the people around them. This interview was conducted part of The Museum of Flight’s High School Outreach program, by High School Junior Eleanor L. This internship was designed to help high schoolers hone their interviewing and public speaking skills, and their digital technology competency.

Nancy Conrad participated in the grand re-opening of The Museum of Flight’s Apollo Exhibit this weekend. Learn more about the Conrad Challenge, issued to students between ages 13-18 here: conradchallenge.org

See artifacts from Pete Conrad’s life and space missions in The Museum of Flight’s newly re-opened Apollo Exhibit. Plan your visit at MuseumofFlight.org

Producer: Eleanor L.

Producer: Sean Mobley

Webmaster: Layne Benofsky

Conspiracy theories are unavoidable when your Museum deals with topics in science, but this week’s guest, Tony Gondola, outreach coordinator for the New Mexico Museum of Space History, has some good advice on how to debunk these unsound ideas. Gondola also explains how the people who formulate conspiracies profit from those who fall for them. In dealing with Moon landing science, Gondola also has experience with other theories. “Right now, flat Earth stuff is everywhere,” he says. “All claims of hoaxsters are easy to debunk because they usually don’t go too deep into the science.” Conspiracy theories have become increasingly popular these past few years because common objections to the Moon landing stem from a distrust of authority, the government, and science. Gondola describes why it’s so important to counter these ideas. “We can’t deny this great historical event,” he says. What the astronauts did on the Moon does, in fact, include some science, although science was not the primary objective. The Apollo 11 astronauts left behind experiments like a laser reflector that still functions to this day. Gondola gets questions every day that are not necessarily accusatory but definitely uninformed, and he suggests that the best way to counter conspiracy theories not by flat out telling someone they’re wrong, but instead gently leading them to think about the science. And by all means, do not refer people to YouTube! “YouTube is a big part of the problem,” Gondola says. Content creators promoting conspiracy theories stand to gain from book deals, video views, and subscribers. Ultimately, Gondola argues, conspiracy theories happen when people believe what they experience from limited human perception and gain validation from outside sources; but, by using science as a way to move beyond limited perceptions, people can conduct simple experiments and research that reveal scientific truths.

Follow in the footsteps of the Apollo 11 astronauts when our APOLLO exhibit re-opens in November!

Host: Sean Mobley

Producer: Sean Mobley

Webmaster: Layne Benofsky

Content Marketing Manager: Irene Jagla

After the Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the Moon, they embarked on an equally fascinating journey: a global goodwill press tour in Air Force One. Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony explains the importance of the tour and how the astronauts’ lives changed post-Moon landing.

Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony, author of Apollo to the Moon, an examination of 50 fascinating artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission, discusses how the global good will tour that the astronauts took aboard VC 137 B (otherwise known as Boeing 707 Air Force One) played a significant role in the United States’ foreign relations strategies at the time. After meeting the Apollo 11 astronauts aboard the USS Hornet, President Nixon delivered a speech in Guam that outlined what came to be known as the Nixon Doctrine: an approach to foreign policy that highlighted his hopes and expectations for the conflict in Vietnam. Harmony notes that “Nixon used the lunar landing as a lesson for the higher ideals of peace and brotherhood.” The Apollo 11 astronauts traveled in Air Force One to cities in South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa chosen for geopolitical reasons. The tour was taxing and impacted the astronauts’ person lives in major ways. Michael Collins felt inspired to take on a role in the State Department, while Buzz Aldrin’s relationship with his wife became strained. You can learn more about the lesser known stories behind the Apollo 11 mission by checking out Harmony’s book!

Want to learn more about the Apollo 11 mission? Check out our Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission exhibit, presented in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, celebrates that historic flight.

Host: Sean Mobley

Producer: Sean Mobley

Webmaster: Layne Benofsky

Content Marketing Manager: Irene Jagla

First Korean astronaut SoYeon Yi shares her memories of going to space and the harrowing return to Earth after 11 days in the International Space Station.

Before listening to part 4 of Soyeon Yi’s story, be sure to listen to Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 !

After years of studying and training, SoYeon Yi finally traveled to space for the very first time on April 8, 2008 along with astronauts Peggy Whitson and Yuri Malenchenko, both of whom had already completed space missions. A trip to space has a way of bonding people, and SoYeon Yi says that she remains good friends with Whitson and Malenchenko to this day and keeps in touch with them. SoYeon Yi’s excitement about being in space continued even after the 2-day journey on the Soyuz to the International Space Station. She wasn’t, however, too keen about all the cameras and media buzz when the Soyuz finally docked with the ISS: “We were all so tired. My hair was crazy messy. I was throwing up every ten minutes and all the vomit bags were in my side pocket.” Despite the fatigue, SoYeon Yi smiled and waved to the cameras, and continued to do so for the next 11 days they spent on the ISS, where she completed 18 experiments and was featured in TV and radio interviews. “Time flies so fast,” SoYeon says. “11 days is not that long.” Although she loved being in space, SoYeon did miss gravity and life on Earth. The trio’s return to Earth was marred by an mechanical error upon re-entry: a part of the habitation module was still connected to the descent module, causing a loss of balance. The capsule fell to Earth upside down, with the heat shield in a rotated position. This caused heat to build up: “If we had been in the capsule for a few more seconds, it would have burned up.” They ended up landing in a rural area of Kazakhstan, but search and rescue were nowhere to be found. Soyeon Yi and Malenchenko released themselves from the capsule, but Whitson was precariously hanging upside inside and they had no way of cutting her down. A nomadic shepherd witnessed the capsule crash land and ran over to check out the scene—he was the one who helped cut Whitson down. Search and rescue eventually reached the scene about 40 minutes later.

Want to learn more about what it’s like to travel in space? Check out the exhibits in our Charles Simonyi Space Gallery!

Host: Sean Mobley

Producer: Sean Mobley

Webmaster: Layne Benofsky

Content Marketing Manager: Irene Jagla

Buzz Aldrin, the second human to set foot on the Moon, recalls the Apollo 11 mission and how one felt tip pen helped the astronauts successfully return to Earth.

Today we honor the 50th anniversary of the first human footsteps on the Moon! This day is especially significant because the Smithsonian Institute has chosen The Museum of Flight as the venue for hosting the command module Columbia, the spacecraft that Apollo 11 astronauts took to the Moon and back, and it’s the only piece of the spaceship that made it back to Earth. When Buzz Aldrin visited the Museum for our annual gala, he was interviewed by Neil Armstrong’s sons—Rick and Mark—and refers to Armstrong as “your dad” throughout the interview. Aldrin gives some insights about the famous image of him exiting the LEM to begin extravehicular activity on the lunar surface. “I didn’t see him [Neil] having much trouble moving around,” Aldrin’s says, recalling seeing Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon before him. Seeing Neil moving easily across the Moon’s surface gave Buzz a false sense of confidence. “I thought 1/6 of gravity, that’s nothing!” But Buzz slipped coming down the ladder, just moments after that famous photo was taken. Buzz also discusses fears that scientists had about contingency lunar samples bursting into flames upon being introduced to the oxygen pressurized cabin—a fear that turned out to be unfounded. But Buzz’s favorite moment of the Moon mission was when his very own felt tip pen helped repair a broken circuit for the engine arm: a device necessary for the astronauts to depart the Moon’s surface. Buzz knew that a spokesperson wanted to push news of the Fisher ballpoint pen’s role during the mission because it was an officially approved NASA pen; but, Buzz told him: “Just don’t go spreading the message that your pen saved Apollo 11!”

Want to see Buzz Aldrin’s pen and the broken circuit for yourself? Check out our exhibition Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission to see rare artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission!

Don’t miss the other stops on our Destination Moon podcrawl:

GeekWire podcast

The Truth from Radiotopia

KNKX Sound Effect

Stuff You Missed in History Class

Host: Sean Mobley

Producer: Sean Mobley

Webmaster: Layne Benofsky

Content Marketing Manager: Irene Jagla

Thank you to Alaska Airlines for sponsoring this episode of the Flight Deck Podcast.

Jerrie Cobb and the women behind the Women in Space program unsuccessfully lobbied Congress in 1962 to include women in astronaut training, but they still led the way for women’s inclusion in the aerospace industry.

With the Women in Space Program being cancelled, the major players behind it—Jerrie Cobb, Jackie Cochran, and Janie Hart (the wife of a Michigan Senator)—met with Congress subcommittees in 1962 to get the program up and running. NASA astronauts also participated in these subcommittee hearings and John Glenn is quoted as saying that women participating in astronaut training would “ruin the social order.” Jackie Cochran wasn’t a huge help either during these hearings. She said that including women in astronaut training would slow down the program because women trainees would drop out due to marriage and family responsibilities. Janie Hart’s friend, Liz Carpenter—executive secretary to Vice President Johnson—managed to get a memo on the VP’s desk urging him to consider women for the space program. Johnson quickly shut down further discussions about the topic and filed the memo. In 1963 the Soviet Union sent cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova into space, so the United States was already behind. Despite not being able to open up the space program to women, their meetings with Congress weren’t a failure. They succeeded in pushing a national conversation about women in aerospace, and the women involved went on to make history. The shy, quiet Jerrie Cobb went on to fly humanitarian missions in South America, delivering food and supplies to impoverished communities along the Amazon Basin, and she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1981 for her efforts.

Want to learn more about the history of spaceflight? Check out our exhibition Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission to see how NASA landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969.

Host: Sean Mobley

Producer: Keny Dutton

Webmaster: Layne Benofsky

Content Marketing Manager: Irene Jagla

Thank you to Alaska Airlines for sponsoring this episode of the Flight Deck Podcast.

When the United States was lagging behind the Soviet Union in the race to space, the Soviet space agency announced plans to send women into space, which spurred American astronaut trainers to consider what might happen if they did the same.

In the late 1950s, Dr. Randy Lovelace and General Donald Flickinger of the Air Force heard about how the Soviet Union was planning to send women cosmonauts into space. Their reasons were practical rather than political: women tended to handle stress better, weigh less, consume less oxygen and use less energy than men, making them great test subjects for spaceflight. Lovelace and Flickinger wanted to implement a similar testing program in the U.S., but NASA was already committed to using male military test pilots for astronaut testing. Undeterred, Lovelace and Flickinger found an ally in Jerrie Cobb, an accomplished woman aviator who earned her commercial license when she was just 18. When Lovelace and Flickinger told her about the idea of including women in an astronaut testing program, Cobb couldn’t say yes fast enough! Lovelace and Flickinger broke off from NASA and formed the Women in Space Program (WISP) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with the help of another historic woman aviator, Jackie Cochran, the co-founder of the WWII WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) program. There, 13 out of 19 women candidates passed the same astronaut training requirements as the Mercury 7 astronauts, proving that women had the same physical, mental and psychological capabilities as men.

Want to learn more about the history of spaceflight? Check out our exhibition Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission to see how NASA landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969.

Host: Sean Mobley

Producer: Keny Dutton

Webmaster: Layne Benofsky

Content Marketing Manager: Irene Jagla

Our interview with NASA astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, part of our series titled Failure is Not an Option, asks crowd sourced questions to reveal what life is like in space and how Dottie, as a woman astronaut, continues to inspire young women to pursue careers in STEM.

Show Notes: As the first installment of our “Failure Is Not An Option” summer series—an ode to people who have pushed the boundaries of space exploration, our interview with Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger includes questions that our listeners shared with us on social media and revealing answers from Dottie about astronaut bands, sweating in space, and how she deals with the pressure of being a role model to young girls who dream of a future in space. Dottie’s first memorable encounter with failure was being last to finish a 600-yard dash in middle school, an event that pushed her to become better at sports as she grew older. Dottie acknowledges that “failure is one of the best ways to learn in life,” and her failure at that race led her to becoming a great runner in high school and college—both of which were important to her success as an astronaut. When asked about how often astronauts argue about politics in space, Dottie is happy to share that on a space mission “there’s no room to have fights over things you have no control over.” Dottie continues to advocate for greater inclusion of women in STEM, and believes that seeing positive representations of women and people of color in space is key to helping people see themselves as astronauts, engineers, and the next space explorers.

Thank you to Alaska Airlines for sponsoring this episode of the Flight Deck Podcast.

Want to learn more about the history of space exploration? Check out our exhibition Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission to see how NASA landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969.

Host: Sean Mobley

Producer: Keny Dutton

Webmaster: Layne Benofsky

Content Marketing Manager: Irene Jagla

Librarians for the King County Library System share their picks for the best aviation, space, and flight-related stories to read this summer. Check out their recommendations for your aerospace summer reading list!

This week we sit down with Britta Barrett and Emily Caulkins from the King County Library System—which is the top library in the nation for circulating eBooks and downloads—to discuss their top picks for summer reading that include aviation and space-related themes. Britta and Emily also host their own podcast for the library titled Desk Set, which can be accessed on Spotify, Stitcher, and the KCLS website. Emily’s excitement for these recommendations stems from the notion that the early days of flight are a natural fit for great stories, “with its inherent risk, human ingenuity, and bravery.” Her first pick is West with the Night by Beryl Markham, a bush pilot from South Africa who was the first to fly east to west across the Atlantic in 1936. She crash-landed in New Foundland, but her flight still made history. The graphic novel Night Witches features detail, visceral illustrations that tell the story of Soviet women pilots during WWII who performed risky aerial maneuvers during combat missions against German troops. And the book Code Name Verity focuses on British women pilots during WWII who help the RAF, and its vivid prose captures “the exhilaration of the feeling of flying” as the characters fly in early model bi-planes. Britta who dreams of being the first librarian in space, recommends some space-themed titles, like Tilly Walden’s On a Sunbeam, which explores how two girls who meet in an outer-space boarding school cope with love and loss. The book Laika tells the story of the first dog to go to space and the nationalistic fervor that led to his significant role in the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States. Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti shows how what makes someone different, unique, or even an outcast can help them survive. You can read all of these this summer for King County Library System’s “A Universe of Reading” summer reading program!

Check out King County Library system here and the Desk Set podcast to get excited for your summer of aerospace reading!

Host: Sean Mobley

Producer: Keny Dutton

Web Master: Laynebenofsky

Content Marketing Manager: Irene Jagla

The Museum is hosting its own performance of the Moon Landing musical to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, and our very own Natalie Copeland explains why you need to see it.

This summer we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 with a performance of Moon Landing, a musical written by Stephen Edwards. One of our very own Museum educators, Natalie Copeland, has taken on the task of cutting down the musical to fit a shorter timespan (75 minutes) so it can be seen by wider audiences at the Museum in July. Copeland discusses her own experiences blending art and science, starting with her experience as a Museum educator. As an educator, she enjoys putting on planetarium shows that take young kids on journeys throughout the solar system. Outside the Museum, Natalie writes and directs musicals that bring together art and science, like her 2018 Rovers musical, which tells the story of anthropomorphized rovers on Mars who host a camp that teaches future rovers how to navigate life on the Red Planet. Natalie’s passion for all things space and theater led her to cast her own version of the Moon Landing, which depicts the stories of the people involved in Apollo 11—the astronauts, the families of the astronauts, the people in mission control—and reveals how emotionally psychologically demanding the mission really was. “The music is haunting, and the score is gorgeous,” says Natalie, and she adds that the musical truly captures the spirit of the people involved in the Moon landing.

Come see Moon Landing this July, and be sure to catch Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission, an exhibition that features the spacecraft that took the first humans to the Moon’s surface.

See how Natalie Copeland brings art and science together here, and listen to the Rovers soundtrack here.

Host: Sean Mobley

Producer: Keny Dutton

Webmaster: Layne Benofsky

Content Marketing Manager: Irene Jagla