13 Minutes to the Moon

[Blackstar]

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]

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]

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]

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

Still nothing on Thirteen Minutes...

https://sixteensunsets.com/

[Blackstar]

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]

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

Steve.

[Blackstar]

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

[Blackstar]

"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]

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

[Blackstar]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[Blackstar]

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]

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

[SteveGoodey]

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

[AnthonyA]

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]

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]

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.