Author Topic: 13 Minutes to the Moon (Read 65311 times)

Cheapchips · « **on:** 06/23/2019 06:37 pm »

The BBC World service have produced a short series on the Moon landing. I'm on the 2nd episode, "Kids in control", about mission control. Some really great interviews and anecdotes so far. Definitely worth a listen.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xttx2/episodes/player

dglow · « **Reply #1 on:** 06/24/2019 03:50 am »

Second that. I've listened to all five (available) episodes and find it thoughtfully produced and well-constructed. The Hans Zimmer score feels a bit dramatic and over-used, but hey – they got Hans Zimmer!

Star One · « **Reply #2 on:** 06/24/2019 05:56 am »

On the second episode. Good series so far but agree the music is over dramatic.

Crispy · « **Reply #3 on:** 06/26/2019 08:33 pm »

Have caught up with all episodes so far (up to 7). This is a really good series. Thoroughly researched, seriously presented (with only the faintest smudge of the sort of over-dramatisation that spoils so many documentaries these days). Plenty of thoughtful interviews, all given space to breath and speak in their own voice.

PS: If there's any one event that deserves a bombastic Hans Zimmer score, this is it!

dglow · « **Reply #4 on:** 06/26/2019 08:52 pm »

Agree the score is deserved, but it is over-used.

The 13-bar 'big theme' is repeated at the top and bottom of each episode, with the ~20-bar 'quieter' (solo string) version always making at least one appearance too. Either Zimmer somehow mandated this level of utilization, or the BBC paid so much that they're trying to get their money's worth.

But this doesn't matter – the podcast is great.

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #5 on:** 02/24/2020 07:32 pm »

Series 2 concentrating on Apollo 13.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/13-minutes-to-the-moon-2

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #6 on:** 03/09/2020 07:46 am »

First episode of series 2 now available.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct0pc5

“Houston, we’ve had a problem.” To ignite catastrophe would take just the flick of a single switch. Why Nasa’s third bid to land on the Moon was flawed from the start.
#13MinutestotheMoon
For videos and more space stories: www.bbcworldservice.com/13minutes
Presented by Kevin Fong
Archive: Nasa and CBS
Starring:
Jim Lovell
Marilyn Lovell
Fred Haise
John Aaron
Gerry Griffin
Gene Kranz, courtesy of the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project
Charlie Duke
Jay Lovell
Sy Liebergot
Jack Lousma
Written by Kevin Fong and Andrew Luck-Baker
Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music
BBC Radio Science Unit for the BBC World Service

dglow · « **Reply #7 on:** 03/09/2020 04:27 pm »

And it's great, too – some wonderful interviews. Well-done again, Kevin Fong!

I also like the reworking of the score.

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #8 on:** 03/16/2020 07:39 am »

Episode 2 now available.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct0pc6

S2 Ep.02 Death of the Odyssey
13 Minutes to the Moon
Apollo 13
Episode 2 of 6

“We were in deep, deep trouble.” This is Mission Control like you’ve never heard it before. After the explosion, denial and disbelief turn to dread.
#13MinutestotheMoon
Watch our videos: www.bbcworldservice.com/13minutes
Presented by Kevin Fong.
Archive: Nasa
Starring:
Jim Lovell
Jack Lousma
Gene Kranz, courtesy of the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project
Sy Liebergot
Bob Heselmeyer, courtesy of the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project
Fred Haise
John Aaron
Marilyn Lovell
Written by Kevin Fong and Andrew Luck-Baker
Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music
BBC Radio Science Unit for the BBC World Service

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #9 on:** 03/16/2020 02:13 pm »

On the podcast there are audio interviews with Gene Kranz, courtesy of the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project. Searching the site, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/KranzEF/kranzef.htm I can only find html or pdf versions. Does anyone know if the actual audio is available?

Thanks.

wholmeswa · « **Reply #10 on:** 03/16/2020 11:18 pm »

Podcast is a great format for this story.

In the last episode you can feel the anguish of the flight controllers more than when you also have video. (At least for me.)

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #11 on:** 03/23/2020 06:24 am »

Episode 3 now available.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct0pc7

S2 Ep.03 Lifeboat
13 Minutes to the Moon
Apollo 13
Episode 3 of 6

The astronauts are fighting for their lives. As the oxygen level plummets, they must escape to the lunar lander. It's a desperate act of survival for which the crew has never trained. #13MinutestotheMoon
See our film about the Lovell family: www.bbcworldservice.com/13minutes
Presented by Kevin Fong.
Archive: Nasa
Starring:
Glynn Lunney
Ken Mattingly (courtesy of the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project)
Merlin Merritt
Jim Lovell
John Aaron
Fred Haise
John Devaney
Jerry Bostick
Poppy Northcutt
George Kalan
Dave Reed
Chuck Deiterich
Marilyn Lovell
Susan Lovell
Jay Lovell
Written by Kevin Fong and Mark Rickards
Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music
BBC Radio Science Unit for the BBC World Service

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #12 on:** 03/31/2020 03:53 am »

Episode 4 now available.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct0pc8

S2 Ep.04 Power brokers
13 Minutes to the Moon
Apollo 13
Episode 4 of 6

Power must be brutally rationed after the crew fly around the Moon. As systems are switched off, their cold, dark ship is reduced to little more than a husk coasting in space. #13MinutestotheMoon
Watch videos about the Apollo 13 mission: www.bbcworldservice.com/13minutes
Presented by Kevin Fong.
Archive: Nasa
Starring:
Gerry Griffin
Jim Kelly
Gene Kranz, courtesy of the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project
John Aaron
Jim Lovell
Fred Haise
Dave Reed
Jerry Bostick
Chuck Deiterich
Merlin Merritt
Bill Peters
Written by Kevin Fong and Mark Rickards
Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music
BBC Radio Science Unit for the BBC World Service

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #13 on:** 04/06/2020 08:51 am »

Episode 5 now available.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct0pc9

S2 Ep.05 Life support
13 Minutes to the Moon
Apollo 13
Episode 5 of 6

“We were being poisoned by our own exhalation.” Carbon dioxide threatens to kill the crew. Mission control must improvise as the most fragile system of all is under threat: the astronauts themselves. #13MinutestotheMoon
For a film about how the crew made the makeshift CO2 adaptors: www.bbcworldservice.com/13minutes
Presented by Kevin Fong.
Archive: Nasa
Starring:
Jim Lovell
Merlin Merritt
Anthony England
Ed Smylie, courtesy of the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project
Fred Haise
Marilyn Lovell
Ken Mattingly
Charles A Berry
Joe Kerwin
Gerry Griffin
Written by Kevin Fong and Chris Browning
Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music
BBC Radio Science Unit for the BBC World Service

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #14 on:** 04/06/2020 09:06 am »

The end of this video on making the CO2 adaptors was a bit emotional.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p088lv4g

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #15 on:** 04/12/2020 08:36 am »

Delay to Episode 7

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0894h2w

Producer Andrew Luck-Baker explains why the season finale will be delayed.

Kaputnik · « **Reply #16 on:** 04/12/2020 07:24 pm »

Thanks for the heads up. I thought the first series was absolutely superb, looking forward to catching up on this one.

Arb · « **Reply #17 on:** 04/12/2020 09:11 pm »

Quote from: SteveGoodey on 04/12/2020 08:36 am

Delay to Episode 7

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0894h2w

Producer Andrew Luck-Baker explains why the season finale will be delayed.

As you've done the spadework, the TL:DL is?

Pretty please.

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #18 on:** 04/12/2020 09:44 pm »

Dr. Kevin Fong, presenter and co-writer, has been away on more urgent business and so the completion of the series has been put on hold.

Let's hope he and his colleagues stay safe in their important work in these troubled times.

https://twitter.com/Kevin_Fong/status/1249268526055030789

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #19 on:** 04/13/2020 07:48 am »

Episode 6 now available.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct0pcb

S2 Ep.06 Earth in view
13 Minutes to the Moon
Apollo 13
Episode 6 of 6

The crew are off course, 200,000 miles from home and without a guidance computer. Their lives now depend on their flying skills - and Jim Lovell’s wristwatch. #13MinutestotheMoon
For more Apollo films and photos: www.bbcworldservice.com/13minutes
Presented by Kevin Fong.
Archive: Nasa
Starring
Chuck Deiterich
Jim Lovell
Poppy Northcutt
Fred Haise
Jim Kelly
John Aaron
Joe Kerwin
Written by Kevin Fong and Chris Browning
Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music
BBC Radio Science Unit for the BBC World Service

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #20 on:** 04/16/2020 07:05 am »

S2 Bonus 01: Jim Lovell
13 Minutes to the Moon

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0894pk1

Special episode with Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell. An extended interview.
The true space pioneer talks to Kevin Fong about everything from the shocking moment of the explosion to the enormous relief of the splashdown.
#13MinutestotheMoon
Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music

bkellysky · « **Reply #21 on:** 04/16/2020 09:24 pm »

Sorry to ask a simple question.
What is the '13 minutes' they are referring to?
I tried to figure it out on my own, then I went through Apollo: The Definitive Sourcebook. I see it's about 13 minutes from LM PDI to landing on Apollo 11. Is that it?
Sorry I haven't caught the series yet. Hope to soon.

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #22 on:** 04/16/2020 09:52 pm »

Yes, that's exactly it.

Quote

The BBC World Service has launched a special podcast series to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. 13 Minutes to the Moon details the final phase of the descent to the lunar surface - and the months and years that led up to those extraordinary moments.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48232627

bkellysky · « **Reply #23 on:** 04/17/2020 01:01 am »

Quote from: SteveGoodey on 04/16/2020 09:52 pm

Yes, that's exactly it.

Quote
The BBC World Service has launched a special podcast series to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. 13 Minutes to the Moon details the final phase of the descent to the lunar surface - and the months and years that led up to those extraordinary moments.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48232627

I looked for that and missed it. Thank you for your gentle direction.

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #24 on:** 04/17/2020 09:34 am »

S2 Bonus 02: John Aaron
13 Minutes to the Moon

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p089lxh8

Special episode with Nasa legend, flight controller John Aaron.
This extended interview ranges from John first learning about the explosion, to
his doubts and fears during Apollo 13¹s descent through the Earth¹s atmosphere.
#13MinutestotheMoon
Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music

Oersted · « **Reply #25 on:** 04/17/2020 01:54 pm »

Quote from: SteveGoodey on 04/16/2020 07:05 am

S2 Bonus 01: Jim Lovell
13 Minutes to the Moon

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0894pk1

Special episode with Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell. An extended interview.
The true space pioneer talks to Kevin Fong about everything from the shocking moment of the explosion to the enormous relief of the splashdown.
#13MinutestotheMoon
Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music

That was a good listen. Good to hear that Lovell is still fresh and sprightly at age 92.

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #26 on:** 04/18/2020 11:42 am »

13 Minutes to the Moon video clips.

Covering Apollo 1, 11 and 13.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xttx2/clips

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #27 on:** 06/08/2020 06:41 am »

Episode 7 now available

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct0v1r

S2 Ep.07 Resurrection
13 Minutes to the Moon
Apollo 13
Episode 7 of 7

“I still have nightmares about this.” Can the crew survive the dangers of re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere? An error could see them either incinerated or becoming lost forever in deep space. #13MinutestotheMoon
For more Apollo films and photos: www.bbcworldservice.com/13minutes
Presented by Kevin Fong.
Archive: Nasa
Starring
Jim Lovell
John Aaron
Dave Reed
Hal Loden
Jerry Bostick
Jim Kelly
Fred Haise
Charlie Duke
Joe Kerwin
Gene Kranz, courtesy of the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project
Chuck Dietrich
Marilyn Lovell
Gerry Griffin
Written by Kevin Fong and Andrew Luck-Baker
Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music
BBC Radio Science Unit for the BBC World Service

Blackstar · « **Reply #28 on:** 03/24/2023 07:33 pm »

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/16-sunsets-podcast/sixteen-sunsets-podcast

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #29 on:** 03/25/2023 02:41 pm »

Thanks very much for posting this, wasn't aware.

Blackstar · « **Reply #30 on:** 03/27/2023 04:04 pm »

Meanwhile, the BBC is now producing the third season of the podcast as well. I was interviewed by them a few weeks ago at the Air Force museum for season 3. It focuses on shuttle.

Blackstar · « **Reply #31 on:** 04/08/2023 08:40 pm »

Only 6 days left and they are not even one third of the way to their goal. That is disappointing.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/16-sunsets-podcast/sixteen-sunsets-podcast

Hog · « **Reply #32 on:** 04/14/2023 02:36 pm »

bump

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/16-sunsets-podcast/sixteen-sunsets-podcast

21 hours left and about 88% of the way to their goal.

Go for 16 sunsets.

Blackstar · « **Reply #33 on:** 04/14/2023 02:53 pm »

They still need $14,000. My understanding of Kickstarter is that if they do not reach that goal, none of the backers gets charged, and then they need to do the whole thing over again. Is that true?

I backed them yesterday, even though I've done interviews for season 3 of "13 Minutes to the Moon." The more the merrier.

AnthonyA · « **Reply #34 on:** 04/14/2023 08:19 pm »

Both series of "13 Minutes To The Moon" were excellent. I can highly recommend them, and if Blackstar liked them, they can't be bad.

Please help these guys with their new project.

AnthonyA · « **Reply #35 on:** 04/15/2023 11:20 am »

They did it! Go 16 Sunsets!

(Worriedly checks how much he donated).

Blackstar · « **Reply #36 on:** 04/15/2023 12:22 pm »

£97,255 pledged of £93,880 goal

Star One · « **Reply #37 on:** 05/18/2023 07:14 am »

The third season of this series will be looking at the story of the Space Shuttle, before that will be a live show with Shuttle astronaut Kay Hire.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0fnsr4s?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Blackstar · « **Reply #38 on:** 05/10/2024 10:51 pm »

I got an update about 16 Sunsets. See image. Not sure if I am allowed to share the link, so I did not.

Still have not heard anything about the third season of 13 Minutes (the one I was interviewed for in March 2023).

Although everybody and their dog now has a podcast, somebody told me that the ad revenue for podcasts has taken a big hit recently. So that might be hurting the BBC one.

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #39 on:** 05/11/2024 07:18 am »

Quote from: Blackstar on 05/10/2024 10:51 pm

I got an update about 16 Sunsets. See image. Not sure if I am allowed to share the link, so I did not.

Still have not heard anything about the third season of 13 Minutes (the one I was interviewed for in March 2023).

Although everybody and their dog now has a podcast, somebody told me that the ad revenue for podcasts has taken a big hit recently. So that might be hurting the BBC one.

I think the 13 minutes third series and the sixteen sunsets are one and the same? Unless I'm missing something!

Steve.

Blackstar · « **Reply #40 on:** 05/11/2024 11:52 am »

Quote from: SteveGoodey on 05/11/2024 07:18 am

Quote from: Blackstar on 05/10/2024 10:51 pm
I got an update about 16 Sunsets. See image. Not sure if I am allowed to share the link, so I did not.

Still have not heard anything about the third season of 13 Minutes (the one I was interviewed for in March 2023).

Although everybody and their dog now has a podcast, somebody told me that the ad revenue for podcasts has taken a big hit recently. So that might be hurting the BBC one.

I think the 13 minutes third series and the sixteen sunsets are one and the same? Unless I'm missing something!

Steve.

No. The narrator Kevin Fong, and at least one producer, worked on 13 Minutes for two seasons. They then left BBC and started this new podcast, 16 Sunsets. Meanwhile, BBC decided to continue 13 Minutes for a third season with a new producer and without Kevin Fong. They are both essentially covering the same subject, the space shuttle. I was told that 13 Minutes was going to cover the shuttle up to STS-27.

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #41 on:** 05/11/2024 03:58 pm »

Quote from: Blackstar on 05/11/2024 11:52 am

Quote from: SteveGoodey on 05/11/2024 07:18 am
Quote from: Blackstar on 05/10/2024 10:51 pm
I got an update about 16 Sunsets. See image. Not sure if I am allowed to share the link, so I did not.

Still have not heard anything about the third season of 13 Minutes (the one I was interviewed for in March 2023).

Although everybody and their dog now has a podcast, somebody told me that the ad revenue for podcasts has taken a big hit recently. So that might be hurting the BBC one.

I think the 13 minutes third series and the sixteen sunsets are one and the same? Unless I'm missing something!

Steve.

No. The narrator Kevin Fong, and at least one producer, worked on 13 Minutes for two seasons. They then left BBC and started this new podcast, 16 Sunsets. Meanwhile, BBC decided to continue 13 Minutes for a third season with a new producer and without Kevin Fong. They are both essentially covering the same subject, the space shuttle. I was told that 13 Minutes was going to cover the shuttle up to STS-27.

So I was missing something.

Thanks very much for that, interesting.

laszlo · « **Reply #42 on:** 05/15/2024 12:13 pm »

Quote from: wholmeswa on 03/16/2020 11:18 pm

Podcast is a great format for this story.

In the last episode you can feel the anguish of the flight controllers more than when you also have video. (At least for me.)

It's an excellent format for another reason. One of my biggest gripes with pretty much every space documentary is the use of stock footage from other flights for scenes where there was no footage. For example, the Apollo 4 staging film has been shown as every Saturn V ever launched and then some. While in that case the producers are probably using the only available footage as a typical representation, there are many documentaries where the wrong NASA footage is dropped in even though footage exists for the actual event. One of the most egregious examples was a documentary using Apollo 16 lunar EVA footage for Apollo 17. With an audio podcast that doesn't happen.

Wonderful series.

Blackstar · « **Reply #43 on:** 10/01/2024 10:01 pm »

We finally got an update--16 Sunsets will be available in November.

Still nothing on Thirteen Minutes...

https://sixteensunsets.com/

Blackstar · « **Reply #44 on:** 10/31/2024 09:43 pm »

About 16 Sunsets (I will make a separate thread):

Ep0 - featuring a discussion between Rami and Kevin of the genesis and highlights of the series - has dropped on all podcast platforms today 31.10.24 (just search for 16 Sunsets).
https://shows.acast.com/16-sunsets

Ep1 drops for the public on 7th November (a week today) and all backers who pledged for early and ad-free access will be automatically enrolled onto our subscription service which is being set up right now.

A new show website will also be going live very shortly and will feature credits for all of our backers on a wall of thanks.

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #45 on:** 11/03/2024 07:13 pm »

Thanks very much for the heads up. Just listened to the pre-launch episode, sounds great.

Steve.

Blackstar · « **Reply #46 on:** 04/04/2025 07:03 pm »

Just got some info that "13 Minutes" (no longer "to the Moon") will premier in June 2025.

Blackstar · « **Reply #47 on:** 06/28/2025 04:49 pm »

"13 Minutes to...," Season 3, The Space Shuttle, is coming to BBC Radio on 14 July. This BBC version is narrated by Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, a space scientist who is Chancellor of the University of Leicester. They originally had a different narrator who dropped out for some reason. I think this has been a rather turbulent production.

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #48 on:** 06/28/2025 05:00 pm »

Thanks very much for the info, looking forward to it.

Blackstar · « **Reply #49 on:** 06/28/2025 05:49 pm »

I'll have to check to find out what episode I'm in. They have communicated very little since I was in contact with them in March 2023.

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #50 on:** 07/07/2025 07:27 am »

Introducing: The Space Shuttle
13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle
Episode 1 of 10

To launch like a rocket and land like a plane. The space shuttle: A sci-fi dream that became reality and changed spaceflight forever. Told by the Nasa astronauts, engineers, scientists and support staff who made it happen.

Our multi award-winning podcast returns on 14 July 2025 with: 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle. Presented by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock. She tells the story of triumph and tragedy, and the human story behind the technology and scientific endeavour.

A BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service.

Season 3 theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Archive: Mission audio and oral histories, Nasa History Office.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0ll8rvf

Blackstar · « **Reply #51 on:** 07/07/2025 11:35 am »

This says episode 1 of 10, but it's really only a 3-minute promo. The podcast becomes available July 14. I'm looking forward to it.

Blackstar · « **Reply #52 on:** 07/10/2025 03:42 pm »

Here’s the link to the podcast on BBC.com: https://www.bbc.com/audio/brand/w13xttx2

Here’s the Apple link: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/13-minutes-presents-the-space-shuttle/id1459657136

And here’s the Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/show/36P6Xk2292DapFNerkRbDw

I show up in episode 5, where I talk about the national security requirements that led to the size of the shuttle payload bay.

Blackstar · « **Reply #53 on:** 07/18/2025 03:21 pm »

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250717-the-star-trek-space-shuttle-names-that-never-were

Blackstar · « **Reply #54 on:** 07/21/2025 01:11 pm »

Episode 2 is now available.

I have not listened to episode 1 yet. I need to find some time to listen to both of them.

Star One · « **Reply #55 on:** 07/21/2025 02:28 pm »

On the BBC Sounds app over here in the UK it looks like they’ve dumped all ten episodes in one go.

SteveGoodey · « **Reply #56 on:** 07/21/2025 03:29 pm »

Yes, they make a big play of it. But I prefer the Pocket Casts app and am in no hurry anyway.

AnthonyA · « **Reply #57 on:** 07/26/2025 05:46 pm »

Very much enjoyed the first episode. I found "Sixteen Sunsets" a bit melodramatic at times, but at least in this first installment Maggie Aderin-Pocock did a good job of balancing the drama with the facts.

Star One · « **Reply #58 on:** 08/05/2025 05:35 pm »

I binge listened to all ten episodes and it’s a really good show, maybe not as in-depth as some might want but it’s still very listenable.

At the end of the final episode it is stated the show will return for season four. The speed it’s going at covering the program history, I imagine they could get a season five out of it as well should they so want.

Blackstar · « **Reply #59 on:** 08/09/2025 03:59 pm »

I just listened to episode 4 of 13 Minutes. I'm going to write an article comparing the two podcasts. Any comments, ideas, suggestions, observations are welcome so I can shape my article.

They are covering some of the same ground, obviously, so where they differ is what is important to me. I believe that the sound design on 16 Sunsets is better than on the BBC's 13 Minutes.

I note that on 13 Minutes they did not discuss the KH-11 imaging Columbia on STS-1. Just left it as a mystery. There was a lot more to it in 16 Sunsets.

Star One · « **Reply #60 on:** 08/09/2025 06:54 pm »

Quote from: Blackstar on 08/09/2025 03:59 pm

I just listened to episode 4 of 13 Minutes. I'm going to write an article comparing the two podcasts. Any comments, ideas, suggestions, observations are welcome so I can shape my article.

They are covering some of the same ground, obviously, so where they differ is what is important to me. I believe that the sound design on 16 Sunsets is better than on the BBC's 13 Minutes.

I note that on 13 Minutes they did not discuss the KH-11 imaging Columbia on STS-1. Just left it as a mystery. There was a lot more to it in 16 Sunsets.

They address the payload bay requirements as regards the KH-9 in a later episode.

Overall I just found 13 Minutes more listenable and better presented. It’s probably just down to me preferring one presenter over the other.

Blackstar · « **Reply #61 on:** 08/09/2025 08:15 pm »

Quote from: Star One on 08/09/2025 06:54 pm

They address the payload bay requirements as regards the KH-9 in a later episode.

Yes, I know. I was the expert they interviewed about that.

Blackstar · « **Reply #62 on:** 08/12/2025 02:19 am »

Just listened to episode 5. Surprisingly, it started out with my interview. The transcript that I read a few months ago had me in the middle, not the beginning. I am the only outside expert that they've interviewed in the first five episodes, all the other people worked on or flew the space shuttle.

Most of the episode is about the launch of the Palapa satellite that failed, followed by the test of the MMU. That's a great discussion. Really good part of the episode.

Blackstar · « **Reply #63 on:** 08/22/2025 06:59 pm »

I have now listened to episode 6 and it may be the best one so far. After discussing the first test of the MMU in episode 5, in episode 6 they focus on the rescue of the two stranded comsats and how they used the MMU. Some good explanation and audio. It really makes you understand it. I am sure I watched these missions--whatever was televised--as a kid, but I don't remember if I watched them live or just news updates. They were doing something entirely new and untried at the time.

13 Minutes seems to be spending more time with some of the female astronauts in the TFNG class, whereas 16 Sunsets spent more time with some others, focusing more on Ron McNair and then also on Charlie Bolden. It really provides a good insight into how shuttle opened up the astronaut corps to more people. Anna Fisher is prominent in this episode. There's a great story about her bringing her baby to the simulator and practicing with the Canada Arm while the kid crawled around. Big difference to the Apollo era, when the men went off to work and their wives and kids barely saw them at all.

Blackstar · « **Reply #64 on:** 08/25/2025 07:59 pm »

I listened to episode 7. Very good. Focuses on Christa McAuliffe. Ends with the accident (doesn't discuss it).

If you have not listened to it, please do so. I don't want to spoil what I thought were the most interesting parts of it. I'll do that later.

Blackstar · « **Reply #65 on:** 08/26/2025 12:38 pm »

Okay, so here is the spoilers for episode 7: (text in white below)

The episode is mostly about Christa McAuliffe and features interviews with astronauts Mike Mullane and Anna Fisher. They talk about their views of having non-astronauts fly on the shuttle. Mullane was generally opposed, Fisher's attitude was that it was too soon. McAuliffe was exuberant, always smiling, always having a great time, very enthusiastic. Fisher worried that she did not fully understand the risk. She said that McAuliffe's commander also had that concern. She said she believes he talked to her about it, but Fisher is not sure if McAuliffe fully understood it. We hear what we want to hear, she said.

The episode then discusses the first launch attempt, which was on a nice day. It got scrubbed for a rather mundane reason (they could not remove something from the orbiter's hatch, in part because the batteries on their portable drills were dead). The second try was on a really cold day. There is a good clip from one of the ground people saying that they had called in about all the ice on the pad, but rather than saying that the launch was scrubbed, they took that as an indication they should warn people about slippery surfaces. The episode then proceeds to the launch and ends with somebody from Mission Control saying that when he looked at a monitor he saw a fireball.

I think the hard hitting part of the episode is the discussion about McAuliffe not really understanding the risks. This is all subjective of course, but the impression it left with me is that she was so excited and enthusiastic the whole time that some of the astronauts who knew her thought that she was oblivious to how dangerous it was. Impossible to know, of course.

Apollo22 · « **Reply #66 on:** 08/26/2025 02:10 pm »

Very interesting - and sad.
Pre STS-51L the Shuttle program was a bundle of conflicting, and dangerous paradoxes
-the Shuttle had to flight 24 times a year in orbit to pay for itself
-the Shuttle was a low risk, mature system with rides not much dangerous than an airliner
-while astronauts and military pilots knew and accepted the risk of flying aerospace vehicles, civilians were different
-"but the Shuttle is safe enough to fly civilians"
-the Shuttle budget was flat, too low to fly those 24 annual missions (Mullane says the Shuttle "standing army" was on its knees: lack of personal, spares and budget, with "only" 10 flights in 1985-86)
-the 1986 launch schedule was heavily constrained by the Halley comet (SPARTAN, March 6, 1986) and the Ulysses / Galileo back to back Centaur launches in May 1986. In fact the schedule was already hopelessly wrecked.

In his book "Riding rockets" Mullane draw a very lucid picture of the 1981-1986 Shuttle era. He even lists a few scary close-calls.
For example, the Columbia flight before STS-51L had a few very scary close calls with disaster (broken probe falling into the SSME - and not enough LOX in the tank).

Columbia should have flown before Christmas 1985 but actually landed on January 12, 1986. Meanwhile STS-51L was delayed again and again. The grueling flight schedule all by itself was a ticking bomb.

wbianco · « **Reply #67 on:** 08/26/2025 05:12 pm »

Blackstar et al -

I question the 13 Minutes conclusions about Christa McAuliffe and risk warnings. Early coverage of the accident said the shuttle commander Dick Scobee explicitly spelled out the risks to the two teacher candidates.

https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/21/us/risks-were-spelled-out-shuttle-survivor-says.html

Interestingly, Mike Mullane, who's interviewed in the episode, mentions the same Scobee anecdote on his website:

https://mikemullane.com/space-is-hard/

WB

Blackstar · « **Reply #68 on:** 08/26/2025 08:29 pm »

They haven't covered this yet:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/science/coke-pepsi-nasa-space-shuttle.html?searchResultPosition=1

The First Soda in Space: When NASA Got Caught Up in the Cola Wars

In the summer of 1985, NASA, the Reagan White House and seven talented astronauts were wrangled into an orbital battle over soft-drink supremacy.
By Joseph Dragovich
Published July 29, 2025Updated July 30, 2025

In space travel, the firsts are often what matter most: the first woman in orbit and the first man to walk on the moon, or, less famously, the first time astronauts grabbed a wobbling satellite with their hands.

Yet in the 1980s, America’s two biggest soft drink companies raced for another milestone: to serve the first fizzy drink in orbit.

One of the greatest excesses of the cola wars happened as NASA was transitioning from the prestige-driven program of the Apollo years toward our modern era of commercial spaceflight, which has been dominated by companies willing to land a Nokia 4G/LTE communications system on the moon, or launch a mannequin-driven Tesla Roadster into deep space. To the Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo, the commercially minded shuttle program was a perfect marketing opportunity.

Forty years on, a NASA astronaut remembers positive moments of the soft drink space race. “We did our job and it was kind of fun,” said Loren Acton, a space shuttle payload specialist.

wbianco · « **Reply #69 on:** 08/28/2025 07:12 pm »

Have you listened to the podcast? Fisher was unconvinced that she really understood what Scobee told her.
[/quote]

Yes, I have. More notable to me that Barbara Morgan (McAuliffe's backup), who also got the same briefing from Scobee, indicated that they knew what they were getting into.

Blackstar · « **Reply #70 on:** 08/28/2025 10:31 pm »

Quote from: wbianco on 08/28/2025 07:12 pm

Yes, I have. More notable to me that Barbara Morgan (McAuliffe's backup), who also got the same briefing from Scobee, indicated that they knew what they were getting into.

Just because Morgan did did not mean that McAuliffe did.

Blackstar · « **Reply #71 on:** 09/03/2025 06:39 pm »

Episode 8 is titled "A Major Malfunction" and obviously deals with the Challenger accident. I have not listened to it yet, but will post here when I have.

It's interesting to compare what subjects this podcast covered with those covered by 16 Sunsets. This was a tough subject to address in a podcast, because there were so many shuttle missions, where do you cut it off? They both seemed to have decided to restrict it to the early years, which makes sense. A second season could focus on the missions to Mir and then the first ISS missions, leading up to the Columbia accident.

As I mentioned before, the two podcasts are complementary.

Blackstar · « **Reply #72 on:** 09/04/2025 12:24 am »

I have now listened to episode 8 and it is really good. It focuses on the Challenger launch decision, particularly the conference call that happened the night before the launch involving NASA and Thiokol personnel. There was a Challenger accident book that came out last year, but it's different to hear people who were there talk about the experience.

Blackstar · « **Reply #73 on:** 09/10/2025 10:09 pm »

I have listened to episode 9, also really good. It addresses the aftermath of the Challenger accident. Some of the astronauts discuss their memories of the crew members and some of the stories they tell are heartbreaking. One (I think) flight controller had the crew sign a photograph, and Ellison Onizuka had written "HELP!" on it next to his name. When she got home after the accident and went inside her house, the photo, with that word, was the first thing she saw.

There's an astronaut talking about the beach house at Kennedy Space Center, and how it's the last place that most astronauts see their families. That was true for the Challenger crew, so it's somewhat of a sacred place for the astronauts. One astronaut tells the story about how he told his family when he became an astronaut that it was the riskiest thing he ever did. I cannot remember if it was him or another astronaut who said that despite the risk, they could not see themselves doing anything else. They were drawn to it.

There's the story about a group of astronauts flying back to Houston in their T-38s and how the air traffic controllers each expressed their condolences and then cleared them through the airspace, essentially giving them a straight path home.

There's some discussion about figuring out what the shuttle was actually supposed to do, and removing commercial payloads from future shuttle missions.

There's also discussion about how the Thiokol engineers redesigned the O-rings. And then a discussion about selecting Rick Hauck to fly the return to flight mission.

These later episodes are pretty good and it might even be possible to mix them in with the 16 Sunsets podcast episodes. I'm not sure exactly how you would do that.

I do prefer Kevin Fong's narration for 16 Sunsets. But they're both good.

Blackstar · « **Reply #74 on:** 09/18/2025 01:40 am »

I listened to episode 10, the last one this season. It was okay, not great. Not as good as several of the previous episodes.

This one focused on the first flight after the Challenger accident and featured commentary from mission commander Rick Hauck. He was talking about his thoughts during ascent. Then there were comments by various astronauts about what they thought of the shuttle program. Was it a success? What did it mean? Some good observations there about how it was always an experimental vehicle and should be judged as such.

There was nothing particularly profound in their observations in this episode, whereas I thought some of the earlier ones had more interesting and unique comments.

The host then ended by mentioning that the shuttle went on post-Challenger to do many other things, including helping to build the space station. They are clearly setting it up for another season where they will probably talk about the flights to Mir and then the early ISS construction, and then maybe lead up to the Columbia accident. They could certainly cover those 15+ years with ten episodes.

Comparing this show to 16 Sunsets, I think 13 Minutes had much more focus on women astronauts, whereas 16 Sunsets had more focus on other minority astronauts, although that was primarily because they had Charlie Bolden (who was fascinating).

I'm going to write up an overall summary of both podcasts, commenting on every episode. But that's going to take me awhile to put together. I think these were good podcasts, but that seasons 1 and 2 of 13 Minutes (on Apollo 11 and Apollo 13) were still superior.