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  • The tiny reserve of propellant that nursed the satellite back to orbit in time

    The tiny reserve of propellant that nursed the satellite back to orbit in time
    2026/10/30
    A $100M satellite tumbles into the wrong orbit after Challenger’s launch, and a tiny propellant reserve is the last hope - did they make it in time?

    The tiny reserve of propellant that nursed the satellite back to orbit in time

    In this episode, we follow the maiden flight of Space Shuttle Challenger and the crisis that unfolded when TDRS‑1 ended up in a wrong, low elliptical orbit. The story tracks the decisions, technical failures, and the burn-by-burn effort that relied on an unexpected propellant margin-could that small reserve save the mission?

    Date: April 4, 1983
    Vehicle: Space Shuttle Challenger
    Payload: TDRS‑1 (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite)
    Mass: 2300 kilograms
    Cost: $100 million

    - Challenger rolled out to Launch Complex 39A on December 8, 1982, as the second orbiter in the Shuttle fleet.
    - Pre-flight engine firings in December and January revealed hydrogen leaks and cracked low-pressure ducting, forcing multiple engine removals and replacements.
    - A February storm contaminated TDRS‑1 in the Payload Changeout Room, requiring the satellite to be returned for cleaning and delaying the schedule.
    - Challenger’s crew-Weitz, Bobko, Peterson, and Musgrave-were on their first shuttle flight, with Musgrave and Peterson slated for the first US spacewalk in nearly a decade.
    - After TDRS‑1 deployed and its Inertial Upper Stage ignited, the booster began tumbling and losing attitude, burning propellant off-target while teams on the ground weighed whether a small onboard reserve could salvage the satellite.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 分
  • The fifty‑foot robotic arm gripped Zarya - and the station's fate ticked down

    The fifty‑foot robotic arm gripped Zarya - and the station's fate ticked down
    2026/10/29
    A fifty-foot robotic arm must catch Zarya as it drifts in orbit-one astronaut on the controls; did she make it in time?

    The fifty‑foot robotic arm gripped Zarya - and the station's fate ticked down

    In this episode, we follow the tense, technical moment when the shuttle Endeavour attempted the first on-orbit assembly of the International Space Station. It covers the lead-up to the capture of Zarya, the stakes of millimeter-level alignment, and the decisions that had to be flawless in orbit-could one operator bring it home?

    Person: Nancy Currie-Gregg
    Date: December 7, 1998
    Location: Low Earth orbit, ~220 miles above Earth
    Event: STS-88 capture and mating of Zarya and Unity
    Module: Zarya (first ISS module)

    - A fifty-foot Canadarm, operated by one astronaut, had to capture Zarya while both vehicles moved at 17,000 mph.
    - Zarya had launched 11 days earlier on a Russian Proton and floated ahead with its docking port aimed at the arm.
    - Endeavour closed 4.7 million miles of orbital path over two days to position for the delicate capture.
    - The docking required millimeter-level alignment; a single degree off could puncture pressure vessels and scatter debris.
    - Nancy Currie-Gregg brought Army helicopter experience, safety and industrial engineering training, and thousands of flight hours to the moment.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    22 分
  • The Valve That Lost Fuel and Cost Nozomi Its Mars Window

    The Valve That Lost Fuel and Cost Nozomi Its Mars Window
    2026/10/28
    A failed propulsion valve left Nozomi drifting after its missed 1999 Mars window - did controllers make Mars in time?

    The Valve That Lost Fuel and Cost Nozomi Its Mars Window

    In this episode, we follow the sequence that turned a precise Mars transfer into a multi‑year odyssey. The story covers the launch, the Earth flybys, the valve failure during the bipropellant burn, and the long rescue plan that hinged on gravity assists and surviving deep space - can calculated patience recover what one valve took?

    Person: Nozomi
    Date: Launch July 4, 1998; planned Mars arrival October 11, 1999
    Location: Earth flybys and heliocentric drift en route to Mars
    Event: Valve malfunction during Earth flyby bipropellant burn causing uncontrolled fuel loss
    Status: Mission trajectory revised to use additional Earth gravity assists and a multi‑year drift

    - Launched July 4, 1998, Nozomi carried 540 kg total mass including 282 kg of propellant dedicated to precise burns.
    - The mission used two lunar swingbys and an Earth atmosphere skim to build velocity with minimal fuel expenditure.
    - During the December 20, 1998 Earth flyby burn a valve in the bipropellant system failed, allowing uncontrolled fuel loss mid‑burn.
    - Controllers attempted correction burns on December 21 that consumed additional propellant and left the spacecraft underfueled for the original October 1999 arrival.
    - Engineers replanned a rescue using a four‑year heliocentric drift and two more Earth flybys in 2002 and 2003 to rebuild velocity by gravity assists.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 分
  • The launch window shifted - a single date cost Hayabusa Mk II its flight

    The launch window shifted - a single date cost Hayabusa Mk II its flight
    2026/10/27
    A badly timed launch window and a single administrative decision put Hayabusa Mk II’s comet sample mission on the line - did they make it in time?

    The launch window shifted - a single date cost Hayabusa Mk II its flight

    In this episode, we follow the story of a proposed Japanese sample-return mission to dormant comet 4015 Wilson-Harrington and the decisions that stopped it before it was built. We trace the technical plans, international proposal process, and the single timing constraint that defined the mission’s fate - could a launch date decide whether pristine solar system chemistry ever reached Earth labs?

    Person: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency engineers
    Object: 4015 Wilson-Harrington (1979 VA)
    Mission: Hayabusa Mk II / Marco Polo proposal
    Date: Launch window 2018; ESA selection decision February 2010; joint proposal submitted June 2007, assessment November 2007
    Scientists: more than 400 worldwide

    - Engineers designed Hayabusa Mk II as a generational redesign with a larger sample-return capsule and more capable ion engines tailored for a comet surface.
    - Wilson-Harrington is a dormant comet whose insulated nucleus could preserve 4.6 billion-year-old molecular chemistry and complex organics.
    - JAXA partnered with ESA to submit the Marco Polo proposal to Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 and cleared formal assessment in November 2007.
    - The mission’s 2018 launch window was fixed by trajectory calculations, planetary alignments, and engineering timelines documented in hundreds of pages.
    - ESA’s Science Programme Committee made its selections in February 2010, a single administrative decision that intersected with Hayabusa Mk II’s critical timing.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    24 分
  • The 23-Minute Spacewalk That Shouldn't Have Ended

    The 23-Minute Spacewalk That Shouldn't Have Ended
    2026/10/26
    Aboard Gemini Four, astronaut Edward White floats free above Earth with a tether-can he get back inside before the hatch and time betray him?

    The 23-Minute Spacewalk That Shouldn't Have Ended

    In this episode, we follow the sequence of events during Gemini Four's attempt at America's first extravehicular activity and the technical and human choices that defined it. The narrative focuses on the mission's problems in orbit, the stubborn hatch, and the precarious return that turned a celebrated photograph into something more complicated.

    Person: Edward White
    Person: James McDivitt
    Date: June 3, 1965
    Event: Gemini Four extravehicular activity
    Problem: Hatch resistance and maneuvering failures

    - McDivitt considered postponing the spacewalk because White appeared warm and fatigued before the EVA.
    - A failed rendezvous with the spent Titan stage drained fuel and altered mission priorities early on.
    - The exterior hatch resisted opening, requiring three minutes of effort from both astronauts before it finally swung free.
    - White exited with a handheld maneuvering unit and a tether; the gun later ran out of propellant during the EVA.
    - After White re-entered, a twenty-minute closing sequence unfolded that escalated the mission's danger during reentry preparations.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 分
  • The Go board that marked a deadline - and forced him to stay in orbit

    The Go board that marked a deadline - and forced him to stay in orbit
    2026/10/25
    A Japanese engineer brings a Go board into orbit as a deliberate marker while Endeavour circles Earth-will his plan secure a longer stay in space?

    The Go board that marked a deadline - and forced him to stay in orbit

    In this episode, we follow Koichi Wakata from his first shuttle mission through the moments when a simple, approved Go board became a deliberate statement of intent in orbit. The episode traces the decisions, missions and engineering choices that set the path for his long career in space and asks how one small gesture can shape a lifetime of missions.

    Person: Koichi Wakata
    Date: January 9, 1996
    Location: Space Shuttle Endeavour middeck, 270 miles above the Pacific
    Event: STS-72 Go Space game aboard shuttle; later STS-92 and STS-119 missions
    Topic: deliberate mission planning linking cultural gesture to long-term astronaut career

    - He packed a specially designed microgravity Go set, approved and manifested for STS-72, before his first spaceflight.
    - At 32, a structural engineer and JAL stress analyst, Wakata used the Go board as a planned cultural statement, not a pastime.
    - On STS-92 in 2000 he operated the robotic arm to install the Z1 truss and PMA-3, performing hands-on ISS assembly work.
    - The Z1 truss he helped install remains a load-bearing part of the station, connecting his engineering work to long-term infrastructure.
    - On STS-119 in 2009 he stayed aboard the ISS when the shuttle undocked, shifting from shuttle crew to long-duration station presence.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 分
  • The bag's pepper spray ate Colleen's eyes - did she make the bus?

    The bag's pepper spray ate Colleen's eyes - did she make the bus?
    2026/10/24
    A NASA astronaut in a tan trench coat boards an Orlando shuttle at 3:28 AM with a bag full of weapons and pepper spray - did she make the bus?

    The bag's pepper spray ate Colleen's eyes - did she make the bus?

    In this episode, we follow the hours and decisions leading up to a pre-dawn confrontation at Orlando International Airport. It covers what the astronaut packed, the distances she drove, and the personal losses and relationships that preceded that night - what drove her to prepare this way?

    Person: Lisa Nowak
    Date: February 5, 2007
    Location: Orlando International Airport shuttle bus
    Event: Confrontation involving pepper spray and a bag of weapons
    Mission: STS-121 aboard Discovery

    - She drove roughly nine hundred miles to be on that shuttle bus at 3:28 AM, arriving with a tan trench coat and a black wig.
    - Her bag contained a BB pistol, ammunition, an eight-inch folding knife, a drilling hammer, latex gloves, large amounts of pepper spray, cash and foreign currency, and unidentified orange pills.
    - Seven months earlier she operated the shuttle and ISS robotic arms on STS-121, carrying personal items including her grandmother’s engagement ring into orbit.
    - Years earlier she served as casualty assistance officer for Laurel Clark after the Columbia disaster, working twelve to fourteen hour days while grieving.
    - In January 2007 her husband and she separated, her expected flight assignment was reassigned, and William Oefelein told her he was seeing Colleen Shipman.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    23 分
  • The glove's forty‑two minutes ran out - did they finish?

    The glove's forty‑two minutes ran out - did they finish?
    2026/10/23
    A zoo veterinarian floats two hundred miles up and reaches into the Hubble-did the spacesuit vet finish the delicate repair?

    The glove's forty‑two minutes ran out - did they finish?

    In this episode, we follow Richard Linnehan from New Hampshire farm kid to a NASA mission specialist tasked with hands‑on work on the Hubble Space Telescope. The episode traces how skills from zoo and marine mammal medicine translated into methods for operating where instruments can’t speak, and asks what precision looks like in vacuum.

    Person: Richard Linnehan Linnehan
    Date: March 1, 2002
    Location: 200 miles above Earth
    Event: Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission spacewalk
    Background: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine; former chief clinical veterinarian, U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program

    - Trained in animal sciences and microbiology, Linnehan built parallel fluency in behavior and internal systems.
    - As a zoo and marine mammal vet he learned to diagnose nonverbal patients from posture, breathing, and subtle signs.
    - In 1989 he joined the Army Veterinary Corps and led anesthesia and pharmacokinetics work for cetaceans and pinnipeds.
    - Selected by NASA in March 1992, he moved from payload and avionics integration roles into flight missions.
    - On his fourth Hubble servicing mission he had 42 minutes of useful gloved dexterity to work inside the observatory’s most expensive instrument.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 分