For a simple IUS-based deploy mission, I sure found a lot to say about this mission! We've got nuclear bombs, caterpillar men, pranks, and multiple near-collisions in the air and in space.
Discovery has the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite in the payload bay, and it's ready to learn all about the stratosphere and mesosphere! This episode was originally going to have a story about the mission commander trying to ski in space but I ran out of time!
TDRS-E needs a ride to space, John Blaha is in command, and the middeck is full of science experiments.
It seems like this human spaceflight thing might be here to stay, so we better do some life sciences experiments and learn more about the impact of microgravity on the human body. Also, Space Shuttle Columbia carries more jellyfish into space than it ever has before.
Discovery has a payload bay full of multi-spectral instruments and is ready to perform an orbital ballet.
Atlantis has one heavy satellite to deploy, and the EVA crew has to evaluate some strange exercise devices in the payload bay. Sort of.
Columbia has a tricky time getting off the launchpad, but once it does, it performs some fancy astronomy that can only be done in space!
STS-38 seems to be a run of the mill classified mission at first.. until someone discovers something flashing in GEO.
Ulysses has a long journey ahead of it, and it all starts on Space Shuttle Discovery and STS-41!
The Hubble Space Telescope is finally here and it's about to rewrite the textbooks. If we can just get it to clear the payload bay in one piece.
Atlantis has something in its payload bay.. what it could be is anyone's guess!
The Long Duration Exposure Facility has been waiting for its ride home for a while. Let's go catch it before it becomes the Short Duration Exposure to Reentry Conditions Facility.
We end up with a shorter episode thanks to another classified flight. But if you need a sweet new PC, I think Huey can hook you up.
Atlantis is back on the launchpad and has another interplanetary mission in its payload bay! Galileo is headed to Jupiter! Please set aside 110 days to download this episode.
Columbia is back in the flight rotation with a mysterious spacecraft in the payload bay and a mysterious experiment in the middeck!
The Space Above Us has reached 100 episodes! Let's take a break from space, spaceflight history, NASA, Project Mercury, the X-15, Project Gemini, the Apollo Program, Skylab, and the Space Shuttle, and answer some audience questions! That previous sentence definitely wasn't crafted to make the show more discoverable to space nerds.
After nearly ten years, NASA is launching another interplanetary probe! Magellan is headed to Venus and it's catching a ride with Space Shuttle Atlantis
Yes, we went from STS-27 right to STS-29. Discovery is flying again with a TDRS to deploy, some pipes to shake up, and a John Blaha to defend.
This week we've got classified satellites, alarming heat shield damage, and another Mike is out of his seat!
The Space Shuttle is flying again with STS-26! Let's see if we can figure out how to fold some chairs.
We take a quick break from the main narrative to take a look around at a few things that happened during the shuttle's lengthy hiatus.
In this lengthy supplemental, we listen to Allan McDonald's testimony in front of the Rogers Commission on February 25th, 1986. This is a long episode, so just a friendly reminder that supplementals are considered optional!
We conclude our coverage of the Challenger accident by digging into why it was able to happen.
We look at what physically happened on STS-51L and try to answer some questions.
Before we deal with the tragic loss of Space Shuttle Challenger, we take a moment to learn about the remarkable mission that should have been.