We had to

Incredible visual metaphor out of NASA Goddard (not the Apple logo, but still)

Jared Isaacman, the billionaire Space X fanboy picked to take over NASA, plans to eviscerate the agency

First thought: Was this somehow the result of the space wings? Second thought: Oh, this is actually, like, really bad. A manned spacecraft disabled by space debris. Even though they'll get home fine, this will only happen more as debris gets worse.

Guess Isaacman's not an evil secret democrat anymore? Another move in the power struggle between Duffy and Musk over who gets to own NASA.

New bonus movie review! We're joined by Jacob of the @socialistshelf.bsky.social podcast to talk about Mickey 17 (2025) by director Bong Joon Ho! We talk the movie, cloning, and whether the Tailies in Snowpiercer should've just respected the cops more. www.patreon.com/posts/mickey...

We're back and taking a brief break from the Mittelwerk series to talk with @miloedwards.bsky.social about something much more fun: Yuri Gagarin's post-Vostok life as a manosphere influencer, children's role model, and hard-partying apparatchik. podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/y...

We're back and continuing our series on Mittelwerk. In Part 2, we cover the successes of the A4 missile bringing unwanted attention, the use of concentration camp labour at the Peenemunde missile facility, and Operation Hydra, the British plan to destroy Peenemunde. open.spotify.com/episode/67XZ...

New bonus episode! We were joined by @bosh.worstpossible.world and @thefuzzymaskedman.bsky.social to talk about 2000's Titan AE, a weird animated scifi movie that flopped so badly it killed Fox Animation. Available on the FTL Patreon at any tier! www.patreon.com/posts/titan-...

We're starting up a new series on Mittelwerk, the Nazi concentration camp and factory complex that churned out Wernher Von Braun's V2 missiles. This week, we started off by looking at the early history of the Nazi rocket program and the Peenemunde army test site. open.spotify.com/episode/4vQa...

New episode! This week, we're talking to @jkass99.bsky.social from @lionsledbydonkeys.bsky.social about FOBS - the Soviet orbital superweapon project, the intense OKB rivalries that made it, and all the wonders of Space Law®. open.spotify.com/episode/0piG...

Red Alert!🚨 This week, we're joined by Dan from @knowledgefight.bsky.social to talk all about the weird and conflicting space beliefs of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones! How many nukes are currently in orbit, whether aliens are demons, and if Alex will get a planet. open.spotify.com/episode/4pBu...

New bonus episode on Sunshine (2007)! If you want to hear the rest of the episode, unlock more bonus content, and join the FTL Discord, consider supporting us at any tier on Patreon. www.patreon.com/posts/135376...

New FTL! Today, we're looking at what NASA was up to in the months before Vostok 1, how the blew the chance to put a human in space first, and how Ham the chimponaut's flight wasn't nearly as happy as you might've been taught. open.spotify.com/episode/2dX8...

Apollo16 geologic training-exercises in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada July 7-9 1971 contactlight.de forallmankind.de

good headline

New episode! We've unlocked a bonus episode we did with friend of the show and Tarkovsky connoisseur @nslayton.bsky.social! open.spotify.com/episode/2fok...

After months of waiting, it's finally available outside the UK. The story of the Thatcher-era British spaceplane in all its weird glory.

New episode! This week, we're joined by @devononearth.bsky.social to talk about Egypt's Al-Kaher missile program and Operation Damocles, the Mossad attempt to stop them. Both sides failed. open.spotify.com/episode/4eIH...

We had a lot of fun with this one. It turns out we had a lot of repressed feelings after the Sibrel Moon Hoax episodes, and this accidentally became the outlet. Thanks for having us on!

New episode on that time Buzz Aldrin decked Bart Sibrel! This week, we're reviewing Bart's 2004 "documentary" Astronauts Gone Wild, in which he ambushes Apollo guys and screams at them until they swear on a bible that they went to the Moon. open.spotify.com/episode/1t9X...

New bonus episode on the Arkbird (Ace Combat 5)! If you want to hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, consider supporting Failure To Launch on Patreon. www.patreon.com/posts/arkbir...

New episode! We're talking with space engineer Robin about the story of Soyuz T-10A, the first on-pad use of a launch escape system (LES) to save a spacecrew. And how they escaped with literal seconds to spare before their booster detonated. open.spotify.com/episode/6Vw8...

Not exactly a fun topic, but we talked about the 1980 Plesetsk Cosmodrome Disaster, probably* the 2nd deadliest disaster in space history, as well as the history of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome and how the Vostok rockets that carried Yuri Gagarin kept flying until 1991. open.spotify.com/episode/24UD...

Listening to @failuretolaunch.bsky.social Part 2 on the Apollo 1 disaster and as a Bakumatsu historian I am delighted in the psychic damage the unexpected phrase "Engineering Shinsengumi" wrought. (go listen, this podcast is great!)

(1/n) My new (edited) book is out! 'Cosmic Fragments: Dislocation and Discontent in the Global Space Age.' Out from @upittpress.bsky.social, the book has 18 scholars weigh in on aspects of space, esp deleterious phenomena, that rarely get foregrounded in celebratory narratives. Most critically..

Further evidence of what we said about the militarization of space being way more dangerous because it will be done stupidly and haphazardly: www.reuters.com/business/med...

Standing by what we said in our most recent episode about the militarization of space being done in the dumbest ways possible.

Quinn realized after making this that most of our audience would be unaware of the Canadian children's TV show Uh Oh! on YTV and it's highly goop-based programming.

Kinda buried in all the news, but an American ICBM factory operated by Northrop Grumman detonated yesterday. As in the building is gutted. Thankfully, no casualties reported. NG are also pressuring officials to keep things quiet and not provide details about the cause of the blast. Fun times

New episode! We're taking a look at anti-satellite weapons, their history, and how every major power is speedrunning their development to turn LEO into a warzone. Specifically, we looked at the largest debris-creating event: the Chinese 2007 ASAT test. open.spotify.com/episode/44l9...

Xichang moment

We'd also highly recommend Dr Jenks' book, The Cosmonaut Who Couldn't Stop Smiling. Really great look into Yuri's weird life, both before and after his flight. Also the episode of Deadliest Warriors that Dr Jenks was a judge for.

Happy Yuri Day. A time when we can all celebrate a colossal achievement in human history, all filtered through the actions of a true freak of the ages. A man who inspired millions to follow their dreams into science, rocketry, and space, before pivoting to become Soviet Andrew Tate.

From our bonus episode reviewing 1969's schlocky cult classic, Moon Zero Two.

Wondrous

New episode! We're back with Guest Chris for the finale of our series on the cofounder of Aerojet/JPL, leader of the Agape Lodge, and inventor of modern SRB design: Jack Parsons. In this episode, Jack decides "boring" sex magic isn't enough and gets into black magic. open.spotify.com/episode/5OhV...

New #CanuckIsASlur! @failuretolaunch.bsky.social is back to close out the Ken Carter saga, including his further attempts to get into Guinness World Records—and his further attempts to jump rocket-powered cars. Audio: rss.com/podcasts/bor... Video: youtu.be/NRyTCibb07g #canada #history #podcast

Aaaand Part 2 where we continue talking to Guest Chris about Jack Parsons. This episode, we cover Jack's dabbling in celebrity forensics, YA authorship, and being talent-scouted by a cult. open.spotify.com/episode/1nhj...

Catching up on my social posts now that show stuff is less hectic. We brought on a certified and experienced rocket test stand engineer and subjected him to 𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔰 of 𝔣𝔲𝔫 talking about the founder of his field: a sex wizard wunderkind named Jack Parsons open.spotify.com/episode/4I5G...

New #CanuckIsASlur! @failuretolaunch.bsky.social is back for more Ken Carter as he tries to put together a mile-long jump across the St. Lawrence River in a rocket-powered car—without any real regard for aerodynamics, ballistics, or safety. Audio: rss.com/podcasts/bor... Video: youtu.be/-iTsEIEznCc

New #CanuckIsASlur! Quinn from @failuretolaunch.bsky.social is here to discuss Ken Carter, a traveling daredevil who is hell-bent on getting into Guinness World Records—even if it means building a rocket-powered car. Audio: rss.com/podcasts/bor... Video: youtu.be/_ZwGZ0pT0XY #history #podcast

New episode! We're joined by @bosh.worstpossible.world to talk about Glavkosmos, the Soviet attempt to commercialize space. Spoiler: they failed overall but they did manage to launch the first salaryman into orbit. open.spotify.com/episode/7qFR...

New episode! We're back with Kelly from @canuckisaslur.preg4pay.biz to continue our series on Nikolai Kibalchich, the rocket pioneer who helped blow up Tsar Alexander II. In this episode, we finally find the space relevancy and Nicky designs his flying machine. open.spotify.com/episode/28I9...

One of my favourites: a Space Commerce Corporation poster advertising commercial use of the Mir space station and Buran, 1989. Remastered from the Smithsonian scan.

New episode! We talked to Kelly from Canuck Is A Slur about Nikolai Kibalchich, the travelling clown, fedora edgelord, socialist revolutionary, and rocket visionary who helped blow up the Tsar. Part 2 coming soon! open.spotify.com/episode/7cse...

A clip on how Laika came to be picked for her suicide mission (ie by having good scores and being the least favourite).