A tiny New York office fills with big ideas. A group of sci-fi writers bring space travel into popular culture. American rocketry begins to take flight. On this episode of Moonrise, the dream of the moon starts to become reality.

Visionaries of the Void

“Truer, but also darker.” This is the real origin story behind America’s decision to go to the moon. The story we learn starts with Sputnik, then President Kennedy’s challenge, and ends with triumph: an American flag on the lunar surface. But in the 50 years that have passed since the moon landing, as presidential documents have been declassified and secret programs have been revealed, a wilder story has begun to emerge. “Moonrise,” a new Washington Post narrative mini-series, digs into the nuclear arms race of the Cold War, the transformation of American society and politics, and even the birth of science fiction, to unearth what really drove us to the moon. Join host Lillian Cunningham (of the Presidential and Constitutional podcasts) as she uncovers a story that has so much to reveal about America -- and about the dreams and nightmares of being human on this Earth.

Share Visionaries of the Void

Sign up to save your podcasts

Visionaries of the Void

Visionaries of the Void

More shows like Moonrise

This American Life

Fresh Air

The New Yorker Radio Hour

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Presidential

Capehart

Sidebar

The Daily

Constitutional

Radio Atlantic

Stay Tuned with Preet

Slow Burn

Capital Weather Gang

Post Reports

Throughline

Canary: The Washington Post Investigates

The Ezra Klein Show

The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Please, Go On with James Hohmann

Broken Doors

The 7

Field Trip

The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop

Try This

Impromptu

The Campaign Moment

The Sports Moment

The New York Times Narrated

Sources & Methods