Did you know that it takes the Earth 365-ish days to orbit the sun? It’s that ‘ish’ that makes February 29 a thing every four years. We talk to one of the Museum’s astronomy educators to get the low down on Leap Day.
Thanks to Astronomy Educator Shauna Brandt Edson for joining Emily for this episode.
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Feb 29
10 min
Afrofuturism is a cultural movement that explores the possibilities of Black futures and pasts and presents through art, literature, music, film and pop culture. And a lot of Afrofuturism has a lot of space in it. Today we're talking about Afrofuturist space and Afronauts and walking through the Afrofuturism exhibit by our friends at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Thanks to our guests in this episode:
Dr. Kevin Strait, Curator National Museum of African American History and Culture
Tim Fielder, Author and Artists Matty’s Rocket
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AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Feb 22
35 min
Hollywood is in love with airports and airplanes and we are too! How many rom-coms can you name where the meet cute, the almost meet, the epic chase or the long distance relationships happens thanks to a terminal or twist of fate seat assignment? We can name at least six. And if we missed your favorite, drop us a comment on Instagram or Twitter!
Thanks to our guest in this episode:
Scott Meslow, Author From Hollywood with Love: The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of the Romantic Comedy
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AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Feb 8
27 min
From when it started in 1981, MTV used an iconic neon scribbled astronaut as its channel ID for years. And even today the award you get when you win a VMA is a statuette of an Apollo era astronaut, but why is MTV obsessed with the Moonman? And why do we have two of those statuettes in our collection? We're digging into the history of cable's giant leap, today on AirSpace
Thanks to our guest in this episode:
Dr. Margaret Weitekamp, National Air and Space Museum Space History Chair
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Jan 25
18 min
Hurricanes are a fact of life in the Caribbean but in 2017, the season was so bad that it changed everything for the people of Puerto Rico. Only two weeks after another major hurricane, Maria barreled into the island bringing more than 200 mile per hour winds, rain and flooding. In the aftermath, the Coast Guard with their helicopters are crucial to search and rescue, aid drops and surveying damage. We spoke to two Coast Guard members, as well as one of our own colleagues, about what the hurricane was like, and what happened after.
We’re joined by Vanessa Parés, Digitization Coordinator NASM
Thanks to our guests for this episode:
Captain Ed Aponte, U.S. Coast Guard
Avionics Technician First Class Mari DeLong, U.S. Coast Guard
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AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Jan 11
38 min
In January 1942 a B-314 flying boat operated by Pan American World Airways landed in New York after making arguably the first around the world flight by a commercial airliner. But when they set out from San Francisco in 1941, they never intended to hold that record. Trapped in the Pacific by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Captain Bob Ford and his crew were forced to return home flying west. It took them more than a month and several tight spots to get their important aircraft back to the U.S.
Thanks to our guest in this episode:
Ed Dover, former Pan Am Radio Operator and Author of The Long Way Home: A Journey into History with Captain Robert Ford
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AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Dec 28, 2023
21 min
In a lot of political and financial circles space exploration is often talked about in terms of human space exploration VERSUS robotic space travel. But most scientists and engineers who work on space missions think this question is better answered with a yes, and. We're diving into the pros, cons and uses of both human and robotic space exploration today on AirSpace.
We’re joined by Dr Erica Jawin, Postdoctoral Research Geologist at NASM’s Center for Planetary Studies
Thanks to our guests for this episode:
Dr Brett Denevi, Geology Lead Artemis III, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
Bobak Ferdowsi, Systems Engineer on Robotic Space Missions
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AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Dec 14, 2023
34 min
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. We got the download on these helium-filled works of art that aren't all that different from the hot-air cousins.
Thanks to our guest on this episode:
Kathleen Wright, Director of Production Operation at Macy’s Parade Studios
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Nov 23, 2023
21 min
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 again. The main way that manifests is in training astronauts before they go up, and contingency planning on how to rescue them if something goes awry.
We’re joined by Dr. Emily A. Margolis, Curator of Contemporary Spaceflight.
Thanks to our guests on this episode:
Major Nick Barwikowski, Commander, Army SERE School
Chief Warrant Officer, Retired Mike Christanson, Head Instructor, Army SERE School
Grant Cates, Senior Project Manager at The Aerospace Corporation
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AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Nov 9, 2023
37 min
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 cargo. Boeing thought it would be quickly outstripped by the U.S.'s SST. But when the 'American Concorde' was scrapped in favor of breathable air and no sonic booms over major cities (see our episode Boom, Clap for deets), the 747 became the plane of choice for high passenger load routes. Now that Boeing's retired her, we're looking back on the more than 50 year history of the original Jumbo Jet.
Thanks to our guest on this episode:
Michael Lombardi, Boeing Historian
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AirSpace is made possible by the generous support of Olay.
Oct 26, 2023
20 min
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