Failure To Launch

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, support Failure To Launch on Patreon at any tier.In the months before the Bombs Fell, the American space program was preparing for its greatest challenge yet: reaching the Red Planet. But the program wasn't as innocent as it seemed. This week, Scribe Quintus is taking Chris and Other Chris through the history of the USSA's Mars Shot Project and the XMB Booster developed by ArcJet Systems.  A big thanks to Alex the OK, Nicholas Slayton, Angry Scooter, and Kelly of CIAS for contributing audiologs to this episode.FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

Capsule: check. Monkey: check. Downers: check. To celebrate our 5th anniversary as a show, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are going back to the well to talk about our first ever topic: Project Albert. Or “that time the US Government launched a half dozen doped-up monkeys on captured Nazi V-2s”. Find our merch store hereSupport FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord communitySOURCES:- Animals in Space, Colin Burgess and Chris Dubbs- Packing for Mars, Mary Roach- A Brief History of Animals in Space, NASAFTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

In the summer of 1966, work at China’s top-secret space program ground to a halt as every worker spent every day putting up posters, making denunciations, and murdering each other. This week, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are joined by November Kelly to talk about Project 714, China’s secret crewed space program and the incredibly dumb reason it died. Check out November's work here (TF), and here (WTYP), and here (KJB), and here (BGDC), and here (NGNM)!Find our merch store hereSupport FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord communitySOURCES:- Thread of the Silkworm, Iris Chang- China in Space, Brian Harvey- China’s Space Program, S. ChandrashekarFTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

The first space food was made by veterinarians instead of dieticians and was so bad that many astronauts chose to fast through their missions. And it could've been *so* much worse. This week, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are talking to Dr Kaveh Hoda, gastroenterologist and host of the House of Pod podcast about the wonderful, disgusting world of astronaut kibble. Check out Kaveh's work here!Tragically, Backstroke of the West appears to have been taken downFind our merch store hereSupport FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord communitySOURCES:- Packing For Mars, Mary Roach- Conference on Nutrition in Space and Related Waste ProblemsFTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, support Failure To Launch on Patreon at any tier.Count the moons, duster! Today, Quinn (Belter), Chris (Martian), and Other Chris (Earther) are talking about the largest ship ever built by humans, the LDSS Nauvoo aka the OPAS Behemoth aka Medina Station. We cover its transformation from an ark for the faithful to a missile against the alien to a battleship for the Belt and to a crossroads between stars.

While most of NASA was focused on the Apollo Moon Program, a separate division was hard at work building then deliberately blowing up nuclear rocket cores all over Nevada. This week, we’re talking to train and nuclear knower Scooter about the weird and convoluted story of American nuclear rockets. Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community!SOURCES:- Nuclear propulsion: A vital technology for the exploration of Mars and the planets beyond, NASA - The NERVA Nuclear Rocket Reactor Program, W H EsselmanFTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

A secret military space station, a rookie crew, a flaky autopilot, insufficient batteries, a freak winter storm, and a frozen lake. We’re joined by space and KSP youtuber Matt Lowne to talk about Soyuz-23, the only water touchdown of a Soviet spacecraft and how it very nearly killed its entire crew. Check out Matt’s videos here!Find our merch store hereSupport FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord communitySOURCES:- Soyuz: A Universal Spacecraft, Rex Hall- Salyut-5: The Last Military Lab, Anatoly Zak- https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/soyuz-23-how-two-cosmonauts-almost-died-after-landing-back-on-earth/ FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, support Failure To Launch on Patreon at any tier.In the wake of Operation:REVIVAL, House Kurita embarked on a crash WarShip development program to try and match the naval superiority of the Clans. Today, we are joined by Dr. Randolph P. Checkers, one of the Periphery’s finest historians, to discuss one product of this program, the ill-fated Tatsumaki Class destroyer. 

The guy who made the Ultima games owns a space tank. We’re back with auto journalist and podcaster Victoria Scott to keep talking Lunokhod. In Part 2, we go over the journey of Lunokhod 2, lives saved in the Chernobyl Disaster, and the post-Soviet desperation that led to a Moon rover being sold for $68,500. Check out Victoria’s work here and listen to Tran Girlismo!Find our merch store hereSupport FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord communitySOURCES:- Unmanned Missions toward the Moon, Anatoly Zak- Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration, Brian Harvey- Tank on the Moon, 2007FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

In a desperate bid to one-up the American Apollo missions, the Soviets built nuclear Moon tanks. We’re joined by auto journalist and podcaster Victoria Scott for a series on the Soviet Lunokhod rovers. In Part 1, we talk about the three-pronged Soviet lunar program, how they built the first space tank, and how you can stay warm in winter with a kilo of Polonium-210. Check out Victoria’s work here and listen to Tran Girlismo!Find our merch store hereSupport FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord communitySOURCES:- Unmanned Missions toward the Moon, Anatoly Zak- Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration, Brian Harvey- Tank on the Moon, 2007FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

On July 9th, 1962, the US Navy lit space on fire from Hawaii to New Zealand and fried a quarter of all active satellites in orbit. This week, we’re joined by engineer and friend of the show Ian to talk about Starfish Prime, the largest nuclear test ever conducted in space, and all the satellites that test killed.Find our merch store hereSupport FTL on Patreon to get bonus content and join our Discord communitySOURCES:- Burning the Sky, Mark Wolverton- Dark Sun: Making of the Hydrogen Bomb, Richard RhodesFTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, support Failure To Launch on Patreon at any tier.For June’s bonus, we’re joined by Ani Mejlumyan of the Lions Led By Donkeys podcast to talk all about The Lesson, a strange Soviet-Armenian animated short about environmentalism. Or possibly John Lennon. Or being so relentlessly horny that you short-circuit a Soviet censor’s brain. 

The earliest manned spaceflights were universally cramped, uncomfortable, and dangerous. What if your job was to do that multiple times a year underwater? This week, we're joined by Dr. Alan Jamieson, an accomplished marine biologist, veteran of many deep sea dives, and a host of the Deep Sea Podcast to compare our respective environments and see how they line up. Check out the Deep Sea Podcast here!Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community!FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

More Ace Combat announcements are coming out and we're very excited about that, so we're unlocking our bonus episode from earlier this year on the Gleipnir flying stealthing aircraftlasermissilebattlecarrier. The final boss of superweapon development. A weapon worth double digits of the GDP of Laesath. The universe's most powerful Blue Angel. This time, we're tackling a fan request topic: Diego Gaspar Navarro's Folly, the Gleipnir.

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.

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 ZakFTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

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 interviewFind our merch store here!Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community!FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

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

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.

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 ZakFTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

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

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.

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 ZakFTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

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.

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.

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/

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.

In the late 70s, OKB-52 head Vladimir Chelomey decided to try and compete with the new Buran space shuttle project. He did it in secret, with stolen funds, and against express orders from the Kremlin. Today, we're talking with space history youtuber Alexander The OK about how it all somehow went wrong. Watch Alex's content here!Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community!SOURCES:- Ahead of his Time, Ivan Evteev- The Proton Launcher, Christian Lardier and Stefan Berensky- Energiya-Buran, Bart Hendrickz- Raketoplan, RussianSpaceWeb- LKS, RussianSpaceWeb- Vladimir Chelomei, False StepsFTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

Like most stuntmen, Michael Hughes had a very confusing life and an overwhelming need to become famous at any cost. In this episode, we cover how that need drove him into conspiracy mania and got him killed flying a glorified pressure cooker. Sources:- DIY Rockets, Daredevils, and the Tragedy of Mad Mike Hughes [WIRED] - "Mad Mike" Hughes Rejected Science and Chased Fame. It Killed Him. [Popular Mechanics] - https://madmikehughes.com/- Rocketman [2019]

CONTENT WARNINGOnly 21 people were ever convicted for crimes at Mittelwerk. Only 1 was executed. This week, we're finalizing our series on the slave factory that produced Hitler's vengeance weapons. Joining us is genocide historian Joe Kassabian to lend his insight on how Mittelbau fit into the larger German camp network and slave labour scheme. Listen to Joe talk more history on Lions Led By DonkeysSOURCES:Andre Sellier, A History of the Dora Camp: The Untold Story of the Nazi Slave Labor Camp That Secretly Manufactured V-2 RocketsJean Michel & Louis Nucera, Dora: The Nazi Concentration Camp Where Modern Space Technology Was Born and 30,000 Prisoners DiedMichael Neufeld, The Rocket and the Reich: Peenemünde and the Coming of the Ballistic Missile EraBenny Grunfeld, A Teenager in Hitler's Death CampsT D Dungan, V-2: A Combat History of the First Ballistic Missile

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.

CONTENT WARNINGThis week we're back into our series delving into Mittelwerk, the underground rocket factory / concentration camp that produced Hitler's "Vengeance Weapons". In Part 5, we look at the official establishment of the Mittelbau complex and the constellation of subcamps that sprung up around it. SOURCES:Andre Sellier, A History of the Dora Camp: The Untold Story of the Nazi Slave Labor Camp That Secretly Manufactured V-2 RocketsJean Michel & Louis Nucera, Dora: The Nazi Concentration Camp Where Modern Space Technology Was Born and 30,000 Prisoners DiedMichael Neufeld, The Rocket and the Reich: Peenemünde and the Coming of the Ballistic Missile EraBenny Grunfeld, A Teenager in Hitler's Death CampsT D Dungan, V-2: A Combat History of the First Ballistic Missile

The White Bird. The Bridge to Peace. Osea's greatest superweapon. Today, we're talking about the High-Altitude Mobile Spacecraft (HAMS) or as it's more commonly known: The Arkbird. We cover everything from its conception in the paranoid heyday of the Cold War, how it was created as a symbol of peace and cooperation, and its use as a weapon of war. Sources:- Arkbird Declaration (2008 G7 Meeting, LEO), Gaze Magazine- Arkbird, Encyclopedia Strangereal- The Circum-Pacific War, Encyclopedia Strangereal- Scinfaxi-Class, Covert ShoresTheme song provided by DJ Danarchy

CONTENT WARNINGThis week we're back into our series delving into Mittelwerk, the underground rocket factory / concentration camp that produced Hitler's "Vengeance Weapons". In Part 4, we take a look at the wider events in Nazi politics and the war in 1944 and how they all filter back to the tunnels under Nordhausen. SOURCES:Andre Sellier, A History of the Dora Camp: The Untold Story of the Nazi Slave Labor Camp That Secretly Manufactured V-2 RocketsJean Michel & Louis Nucera, Dora: The Nazi Concentration Camp Where Modern Space Technology Was Born and 30,000 Prisoners DiedMichael Neufeld, The Rocket and the Reich: Peenemünde and the Coming of the Ballistic Missile EraBenny Grunfeld, A Teenager in Hitler's Death CampsT D Dungan, V-2: A Combat History of the First Ballistic Missile

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.Welcome to the first Failure To Launch Questions & Answers episode! Pulling together questions asked on Patreon and our Discord, this is our chance to let the audience see the real Us.

CONTENT WARNINGWe are back and continuing our series on Mittelwerk-Dora, the rocket factory concentration camp that churned out Hitler's Vengeance weapons. In Part 3, we cover the foundation of the factory itself, its first months of operation, and the conditions faced by slave labourers from all around Europe in the tunnels under Nordhausen. SOURCES:Andre Sellier, A History of the Dora Camp: The Untold Story of the Nazi Slave Labor Camp That Secretly Manufactured V-2 RocketsJean Michel & Louis Nucera, Dora: The Nazi Concentration Camp Where Modern Space Technology Was Born and 30,000 Prisoners DiedMichael Neufeld, The Rocket and the Reich: Peenemünde and the Coming of the Ballistic Missile EraBenny Grunfeld, A Teenager in Hitler's Death CampsT D Dungan, V-2: A Combat History of the First Ballistic Missile

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.We're back and joined by host of The Socialist Shelf podcast Jacob Dallas to talk about 2025's Mickey 17. We go through the plot, the philosophy and ethics of cloning, and how this movie's attitudes toward class issues and dystopia compare to director Bong Joon Ho's earlier works, say, Snowpiercer. The tardigrade teddy bears were an A+ addition, though.

The Soviet Everyman. The Mayor of Star City. The Crusader Against Hipsters. This week, we're joined by podcast host and comedian Milo Edwards to talk about Yuri Gagarin's colourful post-flight career: becoming a manosphere influencer and the divine role model for all Russian children. Find Milo's work and comedy tour dates here!Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and Discord accessSources:1. The Cosmonaut Who Couldn't Stop Smiling, Andrew JenksFTL theme song by DJ Danarchy

CONTENT WARNINGContinuing our exploration into the history of Mittelwerk, the death factory that produced Wernher Von Braun's V2 missiles, we cover the successes of the A4 missile bringing unwanted attention, the use of concentration camp labour at the Peenemunde missile facility, and Operation Hydra, the British plan to bomb that facility flat. SOURCES:Jean Michel & Louis Nucera, Dora: The Nazi Concentration Camp Where Modern Space Technology Was Born and 30,000 Prisoners DiedMichael Neufeld, The Rocket and the Reich: Peenemünde and the Coming of the Ballistic Missile EraBenny Grunfeld, A Teenager in Hitler's Death CampsT D Dungan, V-2: A Combat History of the First Ballistic MissileAnnie Jacobsen, Operation Paperclip

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.This week, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are joined by Josh Boerman and AJ Ditty of the Worst of All Possible Worlds podcast to talk about the famous 2000 flop of Titan AE - a showing so bad it killed Fox Animation Studios! We cover the movie itself, the time and atmosphere it was made in, and Roger Joseph Ebert's very horny (positive) review.

HUGE CONTENT WARNING FOR THIS SERIESTo start our retelling of the story of the Mittelwerk death factory, we cover the early history of the Nazi military rocket program. The VfR amateur rocket club, Walter Dornberger, and the internal politics and squabbling that created the infamous Peenemunde rocket test site. SOURCES:Jean Michel & Louis Nucera, Dora: The Nazi Concentration Camp Where Modern Space Technology Was Born and 30,000 Prisoners DiedMichael Neufeld, The Rocket and the Reich: Peenemünde and the Coming of the Ballistic Missile EraBenny Grunfeld, A Teenager in Hitler's Death CampsT D Dungan, V-2: A Combat History of the First Ballistic MissileAnnie Jacobsen, Operation Paperclip

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.

Since 1963, it has been illegal under international law to place nuclear weapons in orbit. But the Soviets were brave enough to ask: "What is orbit, really?". This week, we're talking to Joe Kassabian (@JoeKassabian), host of the Lions Led By Donkeys Podcast, about OGCh or FOBS, the Soviet superweapon attempt to beat America's missile shield. And a whole lot of OKB politics. Follow Lions Led By Donkeys here!Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and Discord accessSources:1. The Soviet Fractional Orbital Bombardment System, Asif Siddiqi2. http://www.astronautix.com/o/ogch.html 3. https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/ogch.htmTheme song by DJ Danarchy

As part of our ongoing series on space conspiracy theories, we brought in expert help to tackle one of the most virulent conspiracy theorists of our day. This week, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris are joined by Dan Friesen of the Knowledge Fight podcast to talk about all the dumb things Alex Jones believes about space. What has happened in space, what will happen in space, and whether Alex will get his own planet.Follow Knowledge Fight here!Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and Discord access!Theme song by DJ Danarchy

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.

In early 1961, NASA was actually very well positioned to launch an American into space before the Soviets. Then they messed it up. This week, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris take a look into what was happening at NASA in the months before Vostok 1 flew. We cover the infamous Four Inch Flight, the first chimp in space, and the debate over how safe a rocket should really be before strapping Alan Shepard into it. Support FTL on Patreon and unlock bonus content and Discord access!Sources: Beyond, Stephen WalkerRedstone: The Missile That Launched America Into Space, Drew LePageGiving Mercury Its Wings, Drew LePageTheme song by DJ Danarchy

This is an unlocked patreon bonus episode. If you want to hear more content like this, consider supporting FTL on Patreon.For this bonus, we've got Chris, Other Chris, and returning guest Nicholas Slayton getting Tarkovsky-pilled again and talking about the 1979 classic Stalker.

In 1962, President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt (or the UAR) showed the world his newest toys: a set of tiny, dinky missiles that could carry 60 kilos of explosives apiece. Needless to say, the head of the Israeli Mossad flipped out and ordered a campaign of assassinations on the German scientists who'd built them. This week, we're talking to Devon from the Kill James Bond podcast about Operation Damocles: a story of dumb rockets and dumber spies.Listen to Devon's work on: Kill James Bond, Well There's Your Problem, and 10K Posts!Support FTL on Patreon and unlock bonus content!Sources:- Reflections on Egypt, the Middle East, and History, Khaled Fahmy- Nasser and the Missile Age in the Middle East, Owen SirrsTheme song by DJ Danarchy

𝔾𝕠𝕕'𝕤 𝕀𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕪This week, Quinn, Chris, and Other Chris subject themselves to Moon landing hoaxer Bart Sibrel's second "documentary", Astronauts Gone Wild. Spoiler: there's precious little astronauts going wild and it's bad even as conspiracy propaganda. Support FTL on Patreon and unlock bonus episodes!Theme song provided by DJ Danarchy

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.