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  • 193. STP193 - Tracking Stations and Delta Launches - with Dan Kovalchik

     46:51
    Ever wondered what life might be like on a remote part of the world while tracking spacecraft and communicating with them? Ever considered the dangers of being in a blockhouse close to a rocket launch as it explodes? Well our guess this week has some stories for you. We speak to Dan Kovalchik who started working on tracking stations and eventually became the Systems Administrator for the Delta launches, a job he held for 21 years. He has a new book out called ‘Days of Delta Thunder’ so we caught up with him to have a chat.Dan Kovalchik:http://www.rangerat.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-kovalchik-43311880/Days of Delta Thunder:https://www.amazon.com/Days-Delta-Thunder-Dan-Kovalchik-ebook/dp/B0D1SCJ8HNDelta II Launch Failure: 1997https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTmb3Cqb2qw Full show notes: https://spaceandthingspodcast.com/Show notes include links to all articles mentioned and full details of our guests and links to what caught our eye this week.Image Credits: 30th Space Wing Public AffairsSpace and Things:X: https://www.twitter.com/spaceandthings1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spaceandthingspodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/spaceandthingspodcast/Merch and Info: https://www.spaceandthingspodcast.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/SpaceandthingsBusiness Enquiries: info@andthingsproductions.com

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  • 192. STP192 - Talking About The Moon and Poetry with Christopher Cokinos

     52:10
    We can’t get enough of talking about the moon and we love a bit of poetry, so it was a joy talking to Christopher Cokinos for this week’s podcast. Christopher has just released a book called ‘Still as Bright - An Illuminating History of the Moon, from Antiquity to Tomorrow’ - and it’s a must read!Christopher Cokinos: https://www.christophercokinos.com/Still As Bright:https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Still-As-Bright/Christopher-Cokinos/9781639365692 Full show notes: https://spaceandthingspodcast.com/podcast/stp192-talking-about-the-moon-and-poetry-with-christopher-cokinosShow notes include links to all articles mentioned and full details of our guests and links to what caught our eye this week.Image Credits: Pegasus BooksSpace and Things:X: https://www.twitter.com/spaceandthings1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spaceandthingspodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/spaceandthingspodcast/Merch and Info: https://www.spaceandthingspodcast.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/SpaceandthingsBusiness Enquiries: info@andthingsproductions.com

  • 191. STP191 - Why Is It So Difficult To Land On The Moon? - with Brandon Dotson

     41:29
    With the recent moon landing attempts by private US companies having some mixed results, it seems that everyone is an expert on how to land something on the moon all of a sudden, well today we speak to an actual expert to find out what's really going on up there. Brandon Dotson has all the degrees and is currently writing a thesis on the difficulties of landing on the moon.Brandon Dotson:https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=h-bD-jkAAAAJ&hl=enFull show notes: https://spaceandthingspodcast.com/podcast/stp191-why-is-it-so-difficult-to-land-on-the-moon-with-brandon-dotsonShow notes include links to all articles mentioned and full details of our guests and links to what caught our eye this week.Image Credits: NASASpace and Things:X: https://www.twitter.com/spaceandthings1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spaceandthingspodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/spaceandthingspodcast/Merch and Info: https://www.spaceandthingspodcast.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/SpaceandthingsBusiness Enquiries: info@andthingsproductions.com

  • 190. STP190 - How To Look After A Spacesuit - with Lisa Young

     47:37
    This week we speak to Lisa Young, Supervisory Conservator at the National Air and Space Museum, who has been responsible for the preservation of the spacesuits and spacecraft in the Smithsonian collection. Ever been to a museum and wondered about how they look after the spacesuits? Well Lisa is the expert.Lisa Young:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-young-06a22512/https://airandspace.si.edu/people/staff/lisa-young Full show notes: https://spaceandthingspodcast.com/podcast/how-to-look-after-a-spacesuit-with-lisa-youngShow notes include links to all articles mentioned and full details of our guests and links to what caught our eye this week.Image Credits: Space and Things PodcastSpace and Things:X: https://www.twitter.com/spaceandthings1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spaceandthingspodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/spaceandthingspodcast/Merch and Info: https://www.spaceandthingspodcast.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/SpaceandthingsBusiness Enquiries: info@andthingsproductions.com

  • 189. STP189 - Remembering George Abbey - with Michael Cassutt

     55:08
    On 24th March of this year, George Abbey died at the age of 91. One of the most influencial people working behind the scenes at NASA for many years and someone who has come up many times during many interviews. So we wanted to spend an episode to pay tribute to his contributions. To do this we’re joined by Michael Cassutt, author of the 2018 book “The Astronaut Maker - How One Mysterious Engineer Ran Human Spaceflight for a Generation”George Abbey NASA Obituary:https://www.nasa.gov/people/george-w-s-abbey/Michael Cassutt:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-cassutt-5680841/X: https://twitter.com/MichaelCassutt The Astronaut Maker:https://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/the-astronaut-maker-products-9781613737002.php?page_id=30&cid=347961Full show notes: https://spaceandthingspodcast.com/podcast/stp189-remembering-george-abbey-with-michael-cassuttShow notes include links to all articles mentioned and full details of our guests and links to what caught our eye this week.Image Credits: NASASpace and Things:X: https://www.twitter.com/spaceandthings1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spaceandthingspodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/spaceandthingspodcast/Merch and Info: https://www.spaceandthingspodcast.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/SpaceandthingsBusiness Enquiries: info@andthingsproductions.com

  • 188. STP 188 - Predicting The Eclipse - A Multimillennium Tale Of Computation - with Stephen Wolfram

     51:48
    On April 8th there will be a total eclipse travelling across Mexico, the United States and Canada so today we talk to Stephen Wolfram, who earlier this year released a book called “Predicting the Eclipse: A Multimillennium Tale of Computation.” - we learn about the history of predicting eclipses and so much more. Stephen Wolfram:https://www.stephenwolfram.com/ X: https://twitter.com/stephen_wolfram LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwolfram/ Predicting the Eclipse:A Multimillennium Tale of Computationhttps://www.wolfram-media.com/products/predicting-the-eclipse/Full show notes: https://spaceandthingspodcast.com/podcast/stp188-predicting-the-eclipse-a-multimillennium-tale-of-computation-with-stephen-wolframShow notes include links to all articles mentioned and full details of our guests and links to what caught our eye this week.Image Credits: NASA/Aubrey GemignaniSpace and Things:X: https://www.twitter.com/spaceandthings1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spaceandthingspodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/spaceandthingspodcast/Merch and Info: https://www.spaceandthingspodcast.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/SpaceandthingsBusiness Enquiries: info@andthingsproductions.com

  • 187. STP187 - Moonshot Astronaut Families - Exploring Image vs Reality in the Early Space Era - with Dr. Tracy Scott

     50:01
    This week we talk to Dr. Tracy Scott who has just started a project to bring together her own history as an early era “astronaut kid” (daughter of David R. Scott: Gemini 8, Apollo 9, Apollo 15) with her professional expertise as a sociologist and teacher.100 Patreons By Show 200: https://www.patreon.com/SpaceandthingsDave’s Tour Dates: http://www.davejgiles.com/gigsDr Tracy Scott:https://tracylscott.org/https://sociology.emory.edu/people/bios/Scott-Tracy%20L..htmlInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/prof.t.l.scott/ Full show notes: https://spaceandthingspodcast.com/podcast/stp187-moonshot-astronaut-families-exploring-image-vs-reality-in-the-early-space-era-with-dr-tracy-scottShow notes include links to all articles mentioned and full details of our guests and links to what caught our eye this week.Image Credits: Life MagazineSpace and Things:X: https://www.twitter.com/spaceandthings1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spaceandthingspodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/spaceandthingspodcast/Merch and Info: https://www.spaceandthingspodcast.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/SpaceandthingsBusiness Enquiries: info@andthingsproductions.com