132: Steely-Eyed Missile Men

"First Flight," The Right Stuff, and NASA.
 
It takes a special kind of person to strap themselves to a large explosive device in the name of science and exploration, but that is exactly what the early test pilots for NASA's space program did during the space race of the late fifties and early sixties. Inspiring generations of would be astronomers, the story of these pilots would be told in the Academy Award winning film from 1983 called The Right Stuff. 

In this episode of Warp Five, hosts Patrick Devlin, Brandi Jackola, and Brandon-Shea Mutala are joined by NASA employee Tim Robertson to discuss the influence that space exploration has had on Star Trek and its fans. We compare the film The Right Stuff to the second season episode "First Flight." We also discuss test pilots, astronaut training, "Gus" Grissom, and the Happy Bottom Riding Club.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00) 
Welcome, Boomers! (00:01:28) 
"First Flight" Recap (00:03:17) 
Thoughts on the Episode and Film (00:05:58) 
Tim's History With NASA (00:11:08) 
Some NASA History (00:15:58) 
Test Pilots (00:21:15) 
The Right Stuff (00:25:22) 
Tying it Back to "First Flight" (00:30:00) 
"Gus" Grissom (00:35:34) 
Final Thoughts (00:43:37) 
Closing (00:58:54)
 
Hosts
Patrick Devlin, Brandi Jackola, and Brandon-Shea Mutala
 
Guest
Tim Robertson
 
Production
Brandon-Shea Mutala (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Floyd Dorsey (Associate Producer) Mike Morrison (Associate Producer) Tim Cooper (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Mark Flessa (Associate Producer) Joe Saltzman (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Tony Robinson (Show Art) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)