NASA astronaut Christina Koch represents a new era of human spaceflight. From her record-setting 328-day mission aboard the International Space Station to her historic role on Artemis II, Koch’s career connects the hard-earned lessons of long-duration spaceflight with NASA’s return to deep space.

In this episode of Orbital Briefing, Ron Walker explores Christina Koch’s journey from engineer and remote field scientist to ISS flight engineer, spacewalker, and Artemis astronaut. We look at how her time in orbit helped prepare NASA for the future of lunar exploration, why her role on Artemis II matters, and how her story reflects the evolution of the modern astronaut.

This is not just a biography. It is a look at how the Shuttle era, the International Space Station, and Artemis all connect through one remarkable career.

We discuss:

Christina Koch’s path to NASA
Her 328-day mission aboard the International Space Station
The first all-woman spacewalks
Why long-duration spaceflight matters for Artemis and Mars
Her role on Artemis II
How NASA’s astronaut corps has evolved since Apollo
Why Koch represents the future of exploration

This episode is sponsored by The American Spaceplane: A Story of Ambition, Risk, and Reinvention, Ron Walker’s book about the Space Shuttle program, available through RetroJet Studios.

Visit RetroJetStudios.com for the book, spaceflight merchandise, podcast updates, and more.

What really happened on Apollo 13? In this episode of Orbital Briefing, Ron Walker tells the full story of NASA’s most famous in-flight emergency, from the launch of the Moon mission to the oxygen tank explosion, the aborted lunar landing, the use of the Aquarius lunar module as a lifeboat, and the dramatic safe return to Earth.

This deep dive explores the Apollo 13 crew, Mission Control in Houston, the carbon dioxide crisis, the power-down of the command module, the swing around the Moon, and the tense reentry that turned a failed lunar landing into one of NASA’s greatest survival stories. If you’re interested in Apollo program history, NASA missions, space exploration, Moon landing missions, and the true story behind Apollo 13, this episode is for you.

How does NASA actually fly a spacecraft once it leaves Earth? In this episode of Orbital Briefing, Ron Walker takes you inside Mission Control, the nerve center of American human spaceflight. From Gemini and Apollo to the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, and Artemis, Mission Control has been where flight controllers monitor spacecraft, guide astronauts, solve problems in real time, and make the decisions that keep missions alive. This episode explores how NASA built one of the most important operational systems in space history, and why Mission Control remains just as essential today as it was during the Moon race.

Plus, if you enjoy the history of the Shuttle era, check out Ron Walker’s book The American Spaceplane, available now at RetroJetStudios.com.