{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/66f6efa8bc593991488340be/6797f687b6e07e5a2fdfc387?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Anatomy of a Firecracker","description":"<p>Getting the 100 tonne space shuttle orbiter from the pad to orbit demanded a launch system like no other before it.&nbsp; A huge external fuel tank containing hundreds of tonnes of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fed the orbiter’s three powerful main engines.&nbsp; But that wasn’t enough to lift the fully fuelled shuttle off the launch pad.&nbsp; Two towering booster rockets, bolted to the fuel tank, were needed for most of the necessary thrust.&nbsp; Compared to the Apollo Saturn vehicles, this was a novel and complex configuration of rocketry.&nbsp; Designing and building the shuttle launch system required multiple engineering frontiers to be advanced, and some challenging and controversial decisions to be made.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Ever wondered how the Space Shuttle came to be? Welcome to a new podcast series, <strong>16 Sunsets. </strong>In this episode, <strong>Host Kevin Fong </strong>explores the awesome and explosive anatomy of the space shuttle launch system - and its vulnerabilities - with former NASA engineers who built its component parts.&nbsp; The podcast takes you through the violent journey from final countdown to orbit in the company of shuttle engineers and some of the astronauts who rode on their handiwork.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Featuring: Mark Mullane, Lowell Zoller, Craig Sumner, Mark Craig, Jeffrey Hoffman, Gerald Smith, Warren Wiley, Matthew Hersch, Jennifer Lavasseur, Robert Stewart, Robert Crippen, Ivy Hooks, Barney Roberts and David Mindell.</p><p><br></p><p>Credits:</p><p>Written and presented by Dr Kevin Fong</p><p>Producers: Andrew Luck-Baker and Rami Tzabar with additional production by Dave Giles.</p><p>Assistant Producer: Kate Arkless Gray</p><p>Sound Design and Mixing: Richard Courtice</p><p>Music: Christian Lundberg, part of Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers Composer Collective</p><p>With special thanks to Sandra Johnson and Nasa’s Johnson Space Centre Oral History Project&nbsp;</p><p>Executive Producers: Stuart Coxe, Kevin Fong, Jago Lee and Rami Tzabar</p><p><br></p><p>16 Sunsets is an Antica and TellTale Production 2024.</p><p><br></p><p>Check out our website at https://sixteensunsets.com&nbsp;</p><p>Instagram: @sixteen_sunsets</p><p>X: @16sunsets</p><p><br></p><p>Want more 16 Sunsets? Become a premium member of our community and unlock exclusive content, including early and ad-free episodes, by subscribing to 16 Sunsets on Supercast. Learn more at https://16sunsets.supercast.com</p><p><br></p><p>Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>","author_name":"Antica & Telltale Studios"}