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 <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/devononearth.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Devon</a> from the Kill James Bond podcast about Operation Damocles: a story of dumb rockets and dumber spies.Listen to Devon's work on: <a href="https://killjamesbond.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Kill James Bond</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPxHg4192hLDpTI2w7F9rPg" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Well There's Your Problem</a>, and <a href="https://tenthousandposts.podbean.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">10K Posts</a>!<a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/failuretolaunch" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Support FTL on Patreon and unlock bonus content!</a>Sources:- <a href="https://khaledfahmy.org/en/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Reflections on Egypt, the Middle East, and History</a>, Khaled Fahmy- Nasser and the Missile Age in the Middle East, Owen SirrsTheme song by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@djdanarchy/featured" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">DJ Danarchy</a>

Nasser's Missile Program and Operation Damocles (w. Devon)

This is a podcast about all the mistakes, failures, and explosions that made space exploration possible.