In short
Trailer for BBC World Service “13 Minutes presents: The Space Shuttle,” focusing on the shuttle’s first launch era (April 12, 1981, Cape Canaveral), its design goal (“don’t launch like a rocket and land like an airplane”), and the inside story of Mission Control, training, triumphs, and tragedies.
Guest backgrounds
Maggie Adairin-Pocock, a space scientist who dreamed of becoming an astronaut and watched the shuttle in her teens; she’s positioned as the narrator/host.
Key claims
the shuttle was the most complex flying machine ever built; every flight was a “miracle”; it was unlike anything previously flown; it was a finely tuned Mission Control system; malfunctions and hostile conditions were real.
Notable examples
SES-7 liftoff; “America’s first women astronauts”; a launch that “didn’t look right” and a major malfunction.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOThe Launch of the Space Shuttle
0:30 to 2:06
Explore the historic launch of the Space Shuttle in 1981.
“We face the greatest challenges of our time.”
Inside the Space Shuttle Program
2:06 to 4:09
Uncover the stories behind the astronauts and the challenges faced.
“The multi-award winning podcast returns.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
0:30Maggie Aderin-Pocock:at Whole Foods Market. We face the greatest challenges of our time. Challenges that test our limits. There is a place where we can find answers. Where journeys break new ground and connections unlock opportunities. Where innovation can spark real change and our actions can push our world forward. Singapore, where business events can create lasting impact.
1:0712th of April, 1981. Cape Canaveral, Florida. A radically new spacecraft sits on the launch pad. Unlike anything that had ever flown in space. Every single system, every piece of instrumentation, All of it. It was the first time anybody had ever seen any of that. Two astronauts wait to be launched into space. This is the boldest test flight in history.
1:44We're going to fly this new rocket. Never been flown before and we got people on it. We got inside of a minute to launch and I said, John, I think we might really do it. That was when my heart rate went up to around 130.
2:06The multi-award winning podcast returns. 13 Minutes presents...
2:14The Space Shuttle. The Space Shuttle. And the shuttle has cleared the tower. And it was like something being bombed. This vehicle was saying, I'm alive, let me go. I mean, we're just hooting and hollering and screaming and yelling for the sheer joy of what you were taking in. What a view, what a view. Glad you're enjoying it. I'm space scientist Maggie Adairin-Pocock. I grew up with the dream of one day becoming an astronaut. And through my teenage years, I watched in awe The vehicle that took people into orbit and back to Earth. This is the inside story of a sci-fi dream to revolutionize spaceflight.
3:02Don't launch like a rocket and land like an airplane. Told by the men and women who made it happen. We had trained together for so long. Their hopes, their dreams. Inside Mission Control, it is a finely tuned machine, and I was getting to be a part of that. Their triumphs and their tragedies. It's a dangerous environment, a hostile environment, complex machine, things can go bad. Down, go at throttle up. The launch just didn't look right. Obviously a major malfunction. I know I was in shock and disbelief. It's the story of the most complex flying machine ever built. The Space Shuttle. The new season of 13 minutes.
3:50And liftoff, liftoff of SES-7 and America's first women astronauts. The shuttle was a marvelous vehicle. We'll probably not see its equivalent any time soon if we ever do.
4:02Maggie Aderin-Pocock:I don't think there'll ever be a vehicle like the shuttle ever again. Every flight of the shuttle was a miracle. From the BBC World Service, 13 Minutes presents The Space Shuttle, available now. This is the world's greatest all-electric fire machine, I'll tell you that, it was super. Search for 13 Minutes presents The Space Shuttle, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
4:54The West Bank For more, listen to The Global Story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
From the publisher
The epic space story of a sci-fi dream that changed spaceflight forever. Told by the Nasa astronauts and team who made it happen. Our multi-award-winning podcast is back, hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock. She tells the story of triumph and tragedy - of a dream that revolutionised modern space travel forever.
You can listen to the trailer here. To hear episodes, search for 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service. 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.