Space is the most dangerous place a human being can tread—and yet we find it irresistible. Here's why.


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Music from this episode:
Artist: AmbientFabricSong: Magma

Artist: Change!Song: Colourdome

Artist: Lee RosevereSong: I Trusted You (ambient reprise)
 Artist: Change!Song: In Skeletal Forms

 Artist: Lee Rosevere:Song: The Ambient Ukulele (radio edit)

 Artist: The Lovely MoonSong: Blessings

 Artist: Egg NebulaSong: Killer Comets Chaser

 Artist: Psychadelik Pedestrian:Song: Outer Self

 Arist: SloomSong: Reflection 1

 Artist: Jacopo ToreSong: Respira


Artist: Jacopo ToreSong: Non preoccuparti, leggimi
 Artist: Project 5amSong: The Dream
 Artist: DelaytapeSong: Lonely Ambient

 Artist: AnimaSong: Soaring Together

 

Episode 1: Why We Explore

Space does not wish you well. It has no shortage of ways to kill you, and in the fifty years humans have been flying spacecraft around the Earth and out to the moon, the mortal perils have been evident. But ten of the missions were the most harrowing of all. Some of them ended in tragedy, some ended successfully—but all of them involved astronauts playing for the very highest stakes in the very deadliest place.  Countdown tells the tale of those ten missions—some of them American, some Russian. Written and narrated by Jeffrey Kluger—author of Apollo 13 and Apollo 8—Countdown recreates the space crises that every astronaut has feared, and that an unlucky handful were forced to live.

Natural Sciences

Science & Medicine

Science

Gus Grissom tried not to give much thought to the fact that the rocket he was riding to space was built to kill people.  But the terrible V-2 would become the beautiful Redstone, and American Astronauts - manifestly the good guys - would ride them into space.

TIME’s Jeffrey Kluger takes you through the Liberty Bell 7 mission and the events that make it one of the most harrowing space missions of all time.

S1E4: Gus Grissom

The solar system's most overlooked bodies are home to magical things. 


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Episode 12: The Moons

"Way out beyond Neptune. Tagging bashfully behind its brothers."

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Today's episode is also sponsored by Audible.com. Audible has over 180,000 audio books and spoken word audio products. Get a free 30 day trial at audible.com/UNIVERSE

Episode 11: Pluto and Planet Nine

The Frontier Planet


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Episode 10: Neptune

The sideways planet--and that's the least of its problems.

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Today's episode is also sponsored by Audible.com. Audible has over 180,000 audio books and spoken word audio products. Get a free 30 day trial at audible.com/UNIVERSE

Episode 1: Why We Explore

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