Episodes
August 8, 2024 • 71 mins
In order to spy on American satellites and missile tests, the Soviets built the USS Mobile Chernobyl. We're back and joined by Joe and Tom from Lions Led By Donkeys (@lions_by) to talk about the SSV-33 Ural, the world's largest spy ship.
Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content!
Theme song by DJ Danarchy
Mark as Played
July 31, 2024 • 10 mins
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch
Mark as Played
July 29, 2024 • 112 mins
Cape Canaveral is in Florida. Vandenburg launch site is in California. Today, we're joined by meteorologist and former launch forecaster Tenki to talk about the unique problems both face and why lightning and rockets should never mix (see: Apollo 12).
If you want to watch this as a video with Tenki's slides and visuals, we will have it posted on Youtube shortly. Subscribe to the channel so you can be notified when it goes ...
Mark as Played
July 24, 2024 • 57 mins
What if mankind's first contact with alien life was through the barrel of a WW1-era German handgun? We're unlocking our first bonus episode for you, the audience!
If you want more of this, consider signing up on Patreon!
Mark as Played
July 10, 2024 • 81 mins
We're back and talking about a very dumb Moon Landing Hoax "documentary". Also a fun history primer on how the Moon Hoax conspiracy theory got off the ground evolved over the decades.
Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content!
Read Paolo Attivisimo's Moon Hoax: Debunked!
Theme song by DJ Danarchy
Mark as Played
July 3, 2024 • 9 mins
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch
Somehow it escaped our brains till now that CODBLOPS has a mission where you shoot down Soyuz 2.
Mark as Played
June 28, 2024 • 96 mins
History content starts at 19:25
In 1959, the CIA and Mexican DFS stole a Soviet lunar probe in possibly the dumbest heist in spying history. This week, we're joined by @postoctobrist to talk about the CIA Luna Heist.
Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content!
Read space historian Drew LePage's articles on the first moon race!
Sources:
- MIT Technology Review Article on the Heist
Mark as Played
June 17, 2024 • 95 mins
In response to a lethal accident, NASA pulled off the crisis communications hattrick: lying to the public, lying to Congress, and lying to the Senate. This week, we're back talking to Kyle about the investigation and fallout of the Apollo 1 fire.
Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content.
Sources:
- NASA Apollo 204 Disaster Report
Theme song by DJ Danarchy.
Mark as Played
June 10, 2024 • 9 mins
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch
Mark as Played
May 31, 2024 • 90 mins
*CONTENT WARNING*
A rushed development process, a faulty design, and non-existent quality control. This week, we're joined by space industry engineer Kyle (Skyhawk) to talk about the leadup and events of the Apollo 1 disaster.
Sources:
- Chariots for Apollo, Courtney G. Brooks
- Apollo 1: The Tragedy That Put Us On The Moon, Ryan S. Walters
Theme song by DJ Danarchy
Mark as Played
May 17, 2024 • 74 mins
Did you know that Ballooning was once an Olympic sport? This week, we're rejoined by Nicholas Slayton (@nslayton) to talk about balloons, specifically all the people who died trying to conquer the Stratosphere.
Find Nicholas' work here and here!
Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content!
Theme song by DJ Danarchy
Sources
- The Pre-Astronauts, Craig Ryan
- Gaddafi article from the Independent
Mark as Played
May 9, 2024 • 16 mins
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch
Mark as Played
May 3, 2024 • 56 mins
Non-failure topic this week as Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris talk about Max Valier, the Austrian dude largely responsible for popularizing space research, creating the first professional rocket program, and riding rocket cars.
Support FTL through Patreon and unlock bonus content!
Sources
- Max Valier, A Pioneer of Space Travel - Ilse Essers
- The Rocket Men (Air Force Magazine)
Theme song by DJ Danarchy
Mark as Played
April 17, 2024 • 97 mins
*CONTENT WARNING*
This week, we're back with Taylor and Tanner of the Beyond the Breakers podcast for part 2 of our series on Soyuz 11.
Follow Beyond the Breakers here
Support FTL through Patreon and unlock new bonus content
Sources:
- Salyut - The First Space Station: Triumph and Tragedy, Grujica Ivanovich (2008)
- Rockets and People Volume 4: The Moon Race, Boris Chertok (2013)
Theme song by DJ Danarchy
Mark as Played
April 4, 2024 • 80 mins
The story of the world's first space station is complicated, tragic, and incredibly stupid. Today, we're joined by Tanner and Taylor from @beyond_breakers to talk about it.
Follow Beyond the Breakers here!
Support FTL through Patreon and unlock new bonus content!
Sources:
- Salyut - The First Space Station: Triumph and Tragedy, Grujica Ivanovich (2008)
- Rockets and People Volume 4: The Moon Race, Boris Chertok (2013)
- Mi...
Mark as Played
March 29, 2024 • 10 mins
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch
Mark as Played
March 21, 2024 • 78 mins
The French were the first to fly and it made them really weird about balloons. This episode, we're joined by journalist @NSlayton to talk all about the first balloons and aeronauts.
Find Nicholas' work here and here!
Support FTL through Patreon and unlock new bonus content!
Sources:
- The Aeronauts, Donald Dale Jackson
- The Early History of Ballooning, Fraser Simons
Mark as Played
March 8, 2024 • 82 mins
What if America got so scared they let a Greek elevator repairman turn off the sky? In this episode, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are joined by guest youtuber Phrosphor to talk all about Operation Argus, the Cold War plan to hide America under a radioactive death cloud.
Support the show and unlock bonus content!
Sources:
Burning the sky: Operation Argus and the Untold Story of the Cold War Nuclear...
Mark as Played
February 22, 2024 • 80 mins
Iron Sky was alarmingly close to being a documentary. This week, Quinn is joined by Joe and Tom, the hosts of Lions Led By Donkeys to talk about all the ways the Soviets tried to put weapons in space. It involves far more flamingos than you'd expect.
Sources:
- Energiya-Buran: The Soviet Space Shuttle, Bart Hendrickx
- RussianSpaceWeb.com, Anatoly Zak
Mark as Played
February 20, 2024 • 8 mins
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest, join our patreon at any tier: https://www.patreon.com/failuretolaunch
Turns out there were a lot of Soviet space teen movies. And some of them are even good.
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
The Podium: An NBC Olympic and Paralympic podcast. Join us for insider coverage during the intense competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the run-up to the Opening Ceremony, we’ll bring you deep into the stories and events that have you know and those you'll be hard-pressed to forget.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
In The Village will take you into the most exclusive areas of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to explore the daily life of athletes, complete with all the funny, mundane and unexpected things you learn off the field of play. Join Elizabeth Beisel as she sits down with Olympians each day in Paris.
He’s a former Secret Service Agent, former NYPD officer, and New York Times best-selling author. Join Dan Bongino each weekday as he tackles the hottest political issues, debunking both liberal and Republican establishment rhetoric.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
