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Failure To Launch

Failure To Launch Podcast

This is a podcast about all the mistakes, failures, and explosions that made space exploration possible.

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  • 32 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 1 hr 9 min
  • English

Episodes 32

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  • May 29 · 14 min

    *PREVIEW* Despoiler Class (w. 40K Badcast)

    This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, consider supporting Failure To Launch on Patreon.

  • May 22 · 1 hr 20 min

    The Coup of OKB-1 (w. Joe Kassabian)

    A lot of people know that the Soviets canceled their manned lunar program after losing the Moon Race to Apollo. What most don’t know is how that program ended: in a backroom, cloak-and-dagger palace coup that made one man the unquestioned King of Soviet Space. This week, we’re joined by Joe Kassabian to talk about The Coup of OKB-1 by 𝓜𝓞𝓜. Listen to Lions Led By Donkeys here and check out Joe’s upcoming book! Find our merch store here! Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! SOURCES: - Challenge to Apollo, Asif Siddiqi - Rockets & People 4, Boris Chertok - Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration, Brian Harvey - RussianSpaceWeb, Anatoly Zak FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

  • May 8 · 1 hr 34 min

    NASA Cuts w. Gene Mikulka

    In April 2026, while the crew of Artemis 2 was still travelling around the Moon, the Trump administration put forward a budget proposal to gut NASA. This week, we’re joined by space policy analyst and host of the Talking Space podcast, Gene Mikulka, to go over the threats to space science and the grassroots resistance to the cuts. Check out the Talking Space podcast here and follow Gene on Bluesky!Astronauts for America interview Find our merch store here!Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

  • April 23 · 1 hr 59 min

    NASA Railroad & Soyuz City (w. Gareth Dennis)

    Alternate title: Railing Rockets. We're joined by Gareth Dennis, host of the RailNatter podcast, to talk about the intersections of rockets and trains. Gareth came prepared with a wonderful story of horses' arses and the NASA Railroad. Quinn, meanwhile, got sidetracked and wrote about how Soviet OKB head Sergei Korolev accidentally bankrupted a city. Check out RailNatter and Gareth's other videos here! Find our new merch store here! Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

  • April 16 · 14 min

    *PREVIEW* Gleipnir (Ace Combat X)

    This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, consider supporting Failure To Launch on Patreon.

  • April 8 · 47 min

    Part 2: Viktor Ilyin, Would-Be Cosmonaut Assassin

    The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a motorcycle. We're back for part 2 of our series on Viktor Ilyin and the story leading up to the attempted assassination of Leonid Brezhnev in 1969. Find our merch store here! Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! SOURCES: - Into the Cosmos, Asif Siddiqi and James Andrews - The First Cosmonaut Team, Colin Burgess and Rex Hall - Soyuz-4 and -5 crews perform docking, spacewalk between ships, Anatoly Zak FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

  • April 3 · 1 hr 31 min

    Alien Planet & Spec Bio (w. Jay Eaton)

    What would alien life look like? Would it look shockingly like an Ho-229 jet fighter? Would it be best researched by an AI with the mind of a preschooler? This week, we're joined by comic artist and speculative biology enthusiast Jay Eaton to talk about potential alien life and a really weird 2005 Discovery documentary, Alien Planet. Check out Jay's webcomic, Runaway to the Stars, here and sign up for the Kickstarter of their book! Find our new merch store here! Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

  • March 26 · 53 min

    Part 1: Viktor Ilyin, Would-Be Cosmonaut Assassin

    Cosmonaut Boris Volynov almost died twice in one week in January 1969. The first was when his Soyuz-5 capsule nearly burned up on reentry. The second was when a Soviet Army defector ambushed the motorcade carrying him, seven other cosmonauts, and Premier Leonid Brezhnev with akimbo Makarovs. This is Part 1 of our series into the weird story of an attempted assassination of the leader of the Soviet Union. Find our new merch store here! Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! SOURCES: - Into the Cosmos, Asif Siddiqi and James Andrews - The First Cosmonaut Team, Colin Burgess and Rex Hall - Soyuz-4 and 5 crews perform docking, spacewalk between ships, Anatoly Zak FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

  • February 25 · 2 hr 14 min

    *UNLOCKED* Sunshine (2007)

    ЩΉΛƬ DӨ YӨЦ ƧΣΣ? On audience request, this time we're reviewing 2007's Sunshine. It's got a great cast, a legendary soundtrack, good reviews, financial failure, and it made Cillian Murphy an atheist.

  • February 19 · 14 min

    *PREVIEW* Red Planet (2000)

    This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, consider supporting Failure To Launch on Patreon.

  • February 11 · 1 hr 17 min

    Skylab 4 - The Myth of the Space Mutiny

    No, a trio of astronauts on NASA's Skylab station did not stage a mutiny over poor working conditions. Yes, they would've been justified if they had staged a real mutiny. Today, we're tackling Skylab-4 and the legend of the First Strike in Space. Find our new merch store here! Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! SOURCES: - Skylab: The Human Side of a Scientific Mission - https://nss.org/space-myths-busted-no-there-wasnt-a-mutiny-on-skylab/ - https://nss.org/i-finally-read-a-house-in-space-and-it-is-a-big-ol-mess/

Showing 21–32 of 32 episodes