Podcasts by AirSpace

Don't Rain on my Parade from 2023-11-23T09:00

Today is a very special day, parade day of course! The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a holiday staple for almost 100 years, and the balloons have been a part of it for nearly as long. ...

You're on Your Own, Kid from 2023-11-09T09:00

Space is dangerous. And as long as we've been sending people into space, we've also been thinking about what we can do to make sure they're prepared for it, and make sure they will come home aga...

End of an Air-a from 2023-10-26T08:00

When the Boeing 747 first came out it revolutionized the already revolutionary Jet Age. Able to carry more than twice as many passengers as it's predecessors, the 747 was initally designed for c...

Vast and Beckoning Seas from 2023-10-12T08:00

Europa Clipper is soon to be on its was to the outer solar system to study one of Jupiter's most interesting moons. In addition to the really awesome science it will do ('sniffing' gases with a ...

Dancing on the Ceiling from 2023-09-28T15:36:02

AirSpace is looking up! (We know, we know, we're usually looking up what with the air and the space-ness of our podcast) But today we're exploring how we hang really big, priceless artifacts fro...

AirSpace Revisited - It's a Barbie World and We're All Living in It from 2023-09-14T08:00

We’re extending our Hot Barbie Summer by looking back on this gem from season seven.

When Barbie first became an astronaut in 1965, she was more than a decade ahead of NASA sending a wom...

AeroEspacial: Making Space Bustelo from 2023-08-24T08:00

From the moment it hit theaters in 1977, Star Wars has been adopted and adapted by many groups. In the past several years an explosion of Star Wars movies, shows, and books have brought more div...

AeroEspacial: Haciendo Bustelo Espacial from 2023-08-24T08:00

Desde que llegó a los cines en 1977, la Guerra de las galaxias ha sido adoptada y adaptada por muchos grupos. En los últimos años, una explosión de películas, series y libros de la Guer...

AeroEspacial: El Dorado de Posibilidades from 2023-08-10T08:00

Los artistas con frecuencia utilizan sus medios para contar historias, enviar mensajes o imaginar futuros distintos de nuestro presente. Para los artistas futuristas latinos, recurrir al pasado ...

AeroEspacial: El Dorado of Possibilities from 2023-08-10T08:00

Artists frequently use their mediums to tell stories, send messages, or imagine futures unlike our present. For Latino Futurist artists, drawing on the past is key to creating futures that conne...

AeroEspacial: From Puerto Rico with Love from 2023-07-27T08:00

In 2020, a devastating cable break led to the end of one of the most iconic radio telescopes in the world. It starred in movies, kept us safe from asteroids, and listened for extra-terrestrial l...

AeroEspacial: Desde Puerto Rico con Amor from 2023-07-27T08:00

En 2020, una devastadora rotura de cable significó el final de uno de los radiotelescopios más icónicos del mundo. Protagonizó películas, nos protegió de los asteroides y escuchó en busca de vid...

AeroEspacial: The Second Star to the Right from 2023-07-13T08:00

It takes a little faith, trust, and a visa waiver. In the early 1960s, more than 14,000 unaccompanied children left Cuba and their families behind, fleeing the Castro regime. These children came...

AeroEspacial: La Segunda Estrella a la Derecha from 2023-07-13T08:00

Se necesita un poco de fe, confianza y una exención de visa. A principio de los sesenta, más de 14,000 niños sin acompañante dejaron Cuba y a sus familias, huyendo del régimen castrista. Estos n...

Presenting/Presentación: AeroEspacial from 2023-07-11T08:00

Coming soon to this podcast feed AeroEspacial, a second limited series from the creators of AirSpace! Published in both English and Spanish, this four-part series presents stories of La...

Revisited - Sisters of the Moon from 2023-06-22T08:00

We’re gearing up for Season 8 and we have a special project in the works that you’ll hear sooner but today we’re looking back to one of our favorite Season Six episodes, a topic you may have hea...

Bonus! Wronging the Wrights from 2023-06-08T08:00

Season seven is over but don’t despair! We have some fun new things headed your way soon. In the meantime, we borrowed this episode from our friends at Smithsonian’s Sidedoor to tide you all ove...

It's a Barbie World and We're All Living In It from 2023-05-25T08:00

When Barbie first became an astronaut in 1965, she was more than a decade ahead of NASA sending a woman to space. Since then, there have been several versions of astronaut Barbie — from a spangl...

Mars! from 2023-05-11T08:00

From Dante to Matt Damon, Percival Lowell to Perseverance, humans have long wondered about, studied, and eventually explored our closest planetary neighbor, Mars. In celebration of Matt's new bo...

One Small Stop in Ohio from 2023-04-27T08:00

In 1969, nearly 600 million people tuned in to watch the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Four of these rapt viewers were a family of Indian immigrants in Delaware. Four months later that family was driv...

By Land, By Sea, By Dirigible from 2023-04-13T08:00

Imagine this: It’s 1936 and you’re taking a luxurious three day flight from Germany to the United States in the Hindenburg. But instead of landing in New Jersey as expected, you dock to the top ...

Flying Circus from 2023-03-23T08:00

Welcome to Animal Air! We invite all passengers to waddle, trot, sashay or mince aboard the aircraft as we prepare for takeoff. Make sure all tails and tail feathers are out of the aisle and rem...

Satellite Hart from 2023-03-09T09:00

Thanks to GPS, ecologists today can track thousands of animals all the time with tracking devices that can be smaller than a quarter. But in 1970 there was just a weather satellite, a 23 pound c...

Drops From Jupiter from 2023-02-23T09:00

The Juno spacecraft currently orbiting Jupiter almost didn’t have a camera, and boy would that have been a shame. Any time you launch something into space, weight is money. And when Juno was pro...

It Takes More Than One from 2023-02-09T09:00

In the fifties and sixties to get hired as a stewardess put you in a club that was akin to being a movie star. Around this time, a highly qualified woman, top of her training class, beautiful an...

Pigeons Are Pilots Too from 2023-01-26T09:00

The pigeon – ubiquitous bird, oft city-dweller, and… war hero? You might even consider the humble pigeon to be the first military aviator. Before radio, homing pigeons were one of the most relia...

A Picture's Worth 1000 Words from 2023-01-12T09:00

We’ve all seen the breathtaking Hubble and JWST images of our universe, but have you ever wondered how these pictures are made? If you were to travel to the “Cosmic Cliffs” of the Carina Nebula ...

Across the Universe from 2022-12-22T09:00

At the turn of the 20th century, astronomy got a serious glow-up. An influx of money and scientific advancements led to building bigger, better telescopes at newly-founded observatories across t...

The Core from 2022-12-08T09:00

Welcome to Season 7 of AirSpace! We’re kicking off with an episode that really gets to the core of what AirSpace is all about – drilling down to unpack scientifically questionable movie...

Now preparing for takeoff... from 2022-12-01T13:13:21

Season 7 of AirSpace will be in your feeds starting December 8th!

AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.

Bonus! Live Long and Protest from 2022-11-24T09:00

Just two more weeks until a brand new season of AirSpace! But today, we’re excited to bring you a special bonus drop from our friends at the National Portrait Gallery’s podcast PORTRAITS.

Bonus! Hubble Trouble from 2022-11-10T09:00

Season 7 of AirSpace is just around the corner, but today we have a special bonus drop from our friends at the Sidedoor podcast! You’ve likely seen recent awe-inspiring images from the James Web...

If the World Was Ending from 2022-10-27T08:00

Picture this: it’s Halloween eve, 1938, and you’re gathered with your family around the radio to listen to the evening programs. All of a sudden, the broadcast is interrupted by a breaking news ...

October Sky from 2022-10-13T08:00

On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union successfully launched the first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik. This early Space Race milestone sparked a lot of reaction – it was unsettling for some, b...

Boom Clap from 2022-09-22T08:00

You can’t fly really fast without a big boom. In 1964 continual sonic booms spelled a tremendous headache for the residents of Oklahoma City. For six months the US Air Force flew an airplane at ...

How Do You Sleep? from 2022-09-08T08:00

Sleeping in space goes back almost as far as there have been people in space (specifically, a cosmonaut who caught some shuteye in 1961). Astronauts have slept in capsules, shuttles, sp...

Let It Grow from 2022-08-25T08:00

In 1971 an Apollo 14 astronaut took about 500 tree seeds into orbit around the Moon. When he got back, those seeds were distributed, germinated, and planted all around the United States. And the...

Look at the Sky from 2022-08-11T08:00

Skywriting is something you might witness at the beach, or a sporting event, or an outdoor concert. A popular form of aerial advertising and even the occasional marriage proposal, skywritten mes...

Journey to the Past from 2022-07-28T08:00

Every day, satellites orbit Earth taking pictures. These images are used for everything from intelligence to weather prediction and even today’s topic – archeology. When you hear the term “space...

Sisters of the Moon from 2022-07-14T08:00

It’s been nearly 50 years (!) since humans last walked on the Moon.  But NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions will soon return astronauts to the lunar surface. Artemis isn’t just about going back – ...

Electricity from 2022-06-23T08:00

A decade ago it was pretty rare to see an all-electric car on the road. Now that you see them all. the. time. we wondered – what about electric vehicles in the *sky*? Several companies are worki...

QueerSpace: Fight For Your Right from 2022-06-09T08:00

Happy Pride Month! Today, we’re bringing you a special installment of QueerSpace, our limited series featuring stories and people at the intersection of aviation, space, and LGBTQ+ history and c...

Here Comes The Sun from 2022-05-26T08:00

In 1859 the Sun threw a temper tantrum directed at Earth.  It spewed magnetized plasma into space, which made its way here and triggered effects that *literally* shocked telegraph operators (not...

Ice Ice Baby from 2022-05-12T08:00

Brr… it’s cold in here. There must be some thickness to this at-mo-sphere. On today’s episode, we’re cheering for the fraternal twins of the outer solar system. You might know them as the Ice Gi...

99 Luftballons from 2022-04-28T08:00

On the scale of thrilling aviation activities, hot air balloon rides normally rank pretty low. But how would you feel if one balloon ride was your ticket to a better life? AND what if you had to...

QueerSpace: Saxophones on the Moon from 2022-04-14T08:00

Anyone who’s observed the Milky Way or has seen a beautiful Hubble image can understand how space and space imagery can be a source of creative inspiration. When researching QueerSpace, we repea...

QueerSpace: Becoming Light from 2022-03-24T08:00

Historically, queer-identifying people in the U.S. military have been forced out or forced to hide who they are. It wasn’t until 2011 that gay, lesbian, and bisexual servicemembers could serve o...

QueerSpace: We’re All Stories In The End from 2022-03-10T09:00

In science fiction, the possibilities are seemingly endless. Sci-fi writers often create entirely new civilizations where our social constructions can be upended and examined, or just thrown out...

QueerSpace: Fly the Friendly Skies from 2022-02-24T09:00

We’re working on the next season of AirSpace as we speak, but today, we’re excited to bring you QueerSpace — a limited series from the creators of AirSpace, featuring stories and people at the i...

Revisited - Supermassive Black Hole from 2022-02-10T09:00

We’re hard at work on Season 6 (and a super special project coming in just a few weeks!!). But today, we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes from last year. They’re incredibly dense, supe...

Jetstream from 2022-01-27T09:00

We get it—the early days of aviation were full of outlandish characters, and it can be a little exhausting. But trust us on this one—it’ll be worth it. Wiley Post was an oil-worker and armed rob...

With a Little Help From My Friends from 2022-01-13T09:00

On a spring evening in 1933, Amelia Earhart took first lady Eleanor Roosevelt on a joyride. Imagine two women—dressed for dinner at the White House (white gloves and all)—stealing away from 1600...

Fly Me To The Moon from 2021-12-23T09:00

Traveling for the holidays? Would you rather take a trip to the Moon? On this episode of AirSpace, we’re breaking down Georges Méliès' iconic 1902 film “Le Voyage dans la Lune.” Silent and only ...

Little Bombs from 2021-12-09T09:00

At AirSpace we absolutely LOVE spotlighting stories about incredible aviators who might not already be on your radar. Today, we’re introducing you to the Chinese aviatrix Li Xiaqing: A literal m...

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised from 2021-11-25T09:00

93% of televisions in the United States tuned in to see Neil Armstrong walk on the Moon. Can you believe 7% were watching something else? At 11pm on a Sunday?? But as much as we love it now, Apo...

Even Better Than the Real Thing from 2021-11-11T10:00

Have you always wanted to experience what it’s like to be an astronaut but without the queasy upshot of actually shooting into space? Then we’ve got news for you! Only around 550 people have bee...

Don't Hold Your Breath from 2021-10-28T12:46:37

Ever wonder what would happen to your body in space without a spacesuit? Given it’s spooky szn, we figured we’d do something a little different for this Halloween episode of AirSpace and dissect...

Reflektor from 2021-10-14T08:00

Mirror, mirror under the football field, what secrets of the universe will you yield?  Okay, so we’re terrible poets (except maybe Matt). But we are feeling a bit reflective these days,...

Leaving for Paris from 2021-09-23T08:00

100 years ago Bessie Coleman became the first African American woman to earn her pilot’s license. You might remember Bessie from a previous episode of the pod (last season’s Chicago Flyer) – she...

Moonshine from 2021-09-09T09:00

Raise a glass and cheers to a new season of AirSpace! And to help us get in the celebratory mood, today's episode is about a truly intoxicating period of American history – prohibition. You migh...

AirSpace Revisited - Troop Zero from 2021-08-26T08:00

We’re just two weeks away from a brand new season of AirSpace!  Today, though, we’re revisiting a favorite from May 2020 – the first installment of the AirSpace Movie Club, our very first episod...

BONUS – Say My Name Again from 2021-08-12T08:00

We’re hard at work on Season 5 (launching this September!) but before then, we’re giving you a second bite at a topic we spent a long time thinking about this year: what’s in a name? Ea...

It's the End of the World As We Know It from 2021-07-22T08:00

We have a flair for the dramatic here at AirSpace (Who… US?!). And we’d be lying if we told you we don’t occasionally daydream about the end of the world. But, like, scientifically speaking. We’...

Radar Love from 2021-07-08T08:00

Earth’s twin or Earth’s evil twin? It depends on who you ask. And no, we’re NOT talking about Mars (take a break from the news cycle, Ingenuity). We’re talking about the beautiful, enigmatic, an...

Nine Voices from 2021-06-24T08:00

We’re all movie buffs here at AirSpace *gestures to extensive movie episode back catalog.* And while we’re not exactly film critics, we know what we like—and we love when people...

Chicago Flyer from 2021-06-10T08:00

In the early days of aviation flying was dangerous and expensive. Even if you could afford it, societal barriers in the United States kept many would-be pilots grounded. In this episode, we’re t...

Safety Dance from 2021-05-27T08:00

If you’ve flown commercial, you’re familiar with the preflight safety spiel (and if you’ve only ever flown private, we wanna know why, but it’ll have to be a different episode). You know the mov...

Art Decade from 2021-05-13T08:00

Did you know the National Air and Space Museum has a huge art collection? Yeah, we keep that secret pretty well. It all STEMs (see what we did there?) from a program organized by NASA beginning ...

Homesick at Space Camp from 2021-04-22T08:00

Any child of the 80s or 90s knows about Space Camp. Even if you didn’t attend, you likely have an image of it burned into your brain – the flight suits, the teamwork, the spinning contraption th...

Say My Name from 2021-04-08T08:00

Have you ever wondered how the stuff in space gets named? Sure, names like Earth, Venus, and Mars have been canon for *forever.* But lest you think naming is all about Greek and Roman m...

Supermassive Black Hole from 2021-03-25T08:00

Today we’re tackling something we’ve wanted to talk about for a long time (which is relative, because time and space lose all meaning there). They’re incredibly dense, super cool, and mind-bendi...

Water Me from 2021-03-11T09:00

Did you hear they found water on the Moon? Or was it Mars? No wait, Mercury? An asteroid? It seems like every time there’s big news from outer space, it’s that we found water some place—as trace...

Nicotine Stain from 2021-02-25T09:00

We’ll admit that we’re getting a little nostalgic about even the most mundane aspects of air travel – like how many times the pre-flight safety video reminds you that smoking is NOT permitted on...

VOYAGES TO MARS: Landing from 2021-02-16T09:00

This week the Perseverance Rover will touch down on the surface of Mars, bringing an end to its seven-month journey AND this mixtape. Once it lands, Percy will send back thousands of images, giv...

Cool It Now from 2021-02-11T09:00

Welcome to Season 4 of AirSpace!

Right now COVID-19 vaccines are traveling across the country and around the world – and air travel is a critical component of this supply chain....

Bonus! To Gaze from 2021-01-28T09:00

Over the summer we collaborated with the artist Diplo on a companion album to his new record MMXX. It’s called Under Ancient Skies and it’s available wherever you stream music. But we <...

VOYAGES TO MARS: Searching from 2021-01-19T09:00

We’re only ONE month away from the Perseverance Rover touching down on Mars! The search for life is a pillar of Mars exploration. But our search isn’t only confined to the planets of our solar s...

Bonus! NOVA Now: How the future of satellites might affect life on Earth from 2021-01-14T09:00

Season four of AirSpace is just around the corner, but we have a special bonus drop for you today!

Our friends at the PBS podcast NOVA Now have been giving us a behind-the- scenes look a...

Never Surrender from 2020-12-24T09:00

What a year it has been (alt: Ugh, what a year!). Back in April, we launched our AirSpace Movie Club—and critiquing our favorite air-and-space-films was a fun way to stay in touch remot...

VOYAGES TO MARS: Dreaming from 2020-12-15T09:00

Interplanetary road trips take a WHILE. So for this episode of Voyages to Mars, while we cruise onward towards the Red Planet, we’re listening to some poetry that pays tribute to long duration s...

Blinded by the Light from 2020-12-10T09:00

Did you learn the constellations as a child? Odds are, if you lived in a city, you saw more stars in the classroom—or a planetarium if you were lucky—than by looking at the night sky (and if not...

Station to Station from 2020-11-26T09:00

This month marks the 20th birthday of the International Space Station! That’s 240 straight months—which is exactly how long 2020 feels so far. We all need a little self-care these days, so in ho...

VOYAGES TO MARS: Sending Humans from 2020-11-17T09:00

We’re back with the fourth installment of our literary mixtape, Voyages to Mars! The Perseverance Rover is on its way to the Red Planet and space agencies around the world hope that someday in t...

Fly Girl from 2020-11-12T09:00

On this episode of AirSpace we’re spotlighting the heroic service and enduring legacy of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP. More than 1000 of these fearless women flew as civilians for ...

Open the Gate from 2020-10-22T08:00

Can 650 episodes of a tv show fix society’s deepest, ugliest ills? Maybe not, but it turns out that it’s a pretty good place to start a conversation. We’re all fans of something—movies,...

VOYAGES TO MARS: Robots from 2020-10-20T08:00

We're back with the third installment of our literary mixtape, Voyages to Mars! Humans aren't yet able to go to Mars ourselves, so we’re reliant on the help of rovers and landers to be our eyes ...

Danger Zone from 2020-10-08T08:00

There have been great movies about military aviation for almost as long as there have been movies and airplanes—seriously, the very first Best Picture Oscar went to a WWI aero-epic called Wi...