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Artwork for Failure To Launch

Failure To Launch

Failure To Launch Podcast
NASA
Space Exploration
Soviet Union
Cold War
Mittelwerk
Jack Parsons
Nazi Germany
Soviet Space Program
Apollo 1
Apollo Program
Yuri Gagarin
Conspiracy Theories
Aerojet
V-2 Rockets
Solaris
Stalker
Soviet Cinema
Gus Grissom
Ed White
Roger Chaffee

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes130Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
AviationLeisure

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Failure To Launch

Latest Episodes

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.

I do not much like the Federation of Central Usea (FCU). They’ve done some bad things.

This week... more

YouTube

What with all the history talk, we haven't really yet tackled the space elephant in the room: that the space industry is increasingly run by billionaires and open fascists. So today, we're chatting with Ziggy, a post-graduate student studying fascist... more

YouTube

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 cha... more

YouTube

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 ... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Kaveh Hoda
Medical doctor, gastroenterologist and host of House of Pod
House of Pod
Episode: The Horrors of Early Space Food (w. Dr Kaveh Hoda)
Scooter Heathegg
Guest with substantial experience working with nuclear systems and historical analytics
Independent researcher / expert
Episode: Nuclear Rockets (w. Scooter)
Matt Lowne
YouTuber covering space, current news, engineering, space history, and Kerbal Space Program
Episode: Soyuz-23: Ice Fishing for Cosmonauts (w. Matt Lowne)
Randolph P. Checkers
Military historian and mercenary from Van Zandt, expert on battle mechs and Inner Sphere history
None stated in transcript
Episode: *PREVIEW* Tatsumaki Class (w. Tex Talks Battletech)
Victoria Scott
Automotive journalist, photographer, host of Tran Girlismo
Tran Girlismo
Episode: Moon Tank: Lunokhod 1 (w. Victoria Scott)
Ani Mejlumyan
Journalist and podcaster on The Lions Led By Donkeys, Armenian media specialist
The Lions Led By Donkeys
Episode: *PREVIEW* The Lesson (1987)
Alan Jamieson
Marine biologist, engineer, author, and podcaster (Deep Sea podcast host)
University of Western Australia / Deep Sea
Episode: Deep Sea & Space (w. Dr Alan Jamieson)
Joe Kassabian
Author, historian, host of Lions Led By Donkeys podcast
Lions Led By Donkeys
Episode: The Coup of OKB-1 (w. Joe Kassabian)
Gene Mikulka
Space exploration advocate and host of the Talking Space podcast
Talking Space
Episode: NASA Cuts w. Gene Mikulka

Hosts

Quinn Heahim
Host of Failure To Launch
Chris Heahim
Co-host of Failure To Launch

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 261 ratings
  • Context Review Signed

    I’m here to confirm I received the context report and got my signature notarized. It’ll be hand delivered from the Mr.B gulag in the coming months…or never.

    Real review: Great show, super smart and funny.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Cindy Reviews Things
    United States4 months ago
  • Great content and great banter

    Love this podcast! They dive into subjects that mainstream space history glosses over and talk about some amazing topics!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Twisted_Lazarus
    United Statesa year ago
  • Really interesting podcast! Treats the topics with a lot of obvious passion and care, and goes to great lengths at times to debunk falsehoods that are just considered accepted fact to many people. Good stuff

    Podcast Addict
    5
    wonkledonkle
    a year ago
  • Excellent grain geometry

    Great show. Super nerdy.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    NikolaiGranakov
    United States2 years ago
  • Excellent mix of great scholarship and humor. One of my favorite podcasts and I love to recommend it to people remotely interested in space shit.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    fourthmarker
    2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests provide credible, specialized perspectives.
Episodes frequently surface under-covered space-history topics, appealing to nerdy audiences.
Listeners appreciate the mix of rigorous history and humor.
Production quality and storytelling are consistently strong.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#16
United States/Leisure/Aviation
Apple Podcasts
#183
United States/Leisure
Apple Podcasts
#15
Canada/Leisure/Aviation
Apple Podcasts
#121
United Kingdom/Leisure/Aviation
Apple Podcasts
#45
Germany/Leisure/Aviation
Apple Podcasts
#59
France/Leisure/Aviation

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Project 714 'Shuguang' (w. November Kelly)
Q: What did we learn here today?
We learned how a highly ambitious, symbolically charged space project can be derailed by political upheaval, leadership purges, and operational shortages, resulting in enduring lessons for later programs and a clearer understanding of China's path to crewed spaceflight.
Nuclear Rockets (w. Scooter)
Q: What was the core promise of NERVA in terms of space missions?
NERVA promised a nuclear thermal rocket with much higher specific impulse than chemical rockets, enabling faster travel and larger payloads for interplanetary missions, potentially making crewed missions to Mars and deep-space exploration feasible.
Deep Sea & Space (w. Dr Alan Jamieson)
Q: How does crew comfort influence mission success in extreme environments?
Comfort evolves from a 'nice-to-have' to a performance factor; longer, more logistically demanding dives require better seating, temperature management, and reduced fatigue, which in turn improves data quality and reduces risk of human error.
Deep Sea & Space (w. Dr Alan Jamieson)
Q: What are the main design trade-offs between deep-sea submersibles and crewed spacecraft?
Both emphasize safety margins, modular components, and the ability to diagnose and recover from issues on-site; however, deep-sea systems prioritize resistance to high hydrostatic pressure and cold, whereas space systems prioritize vacuum conditions and microgravity, with both stressing the value of human intuition alongside engineering precision.
*PREVIEW* FTL | Q&A #1
Q: What piece of media, books, movies, music, games of any sort or other podcasts did you consume recently?
Hosts mentioned watching 'Foundation,' discussing its new take on classic sci-fi.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Failure To Launch

What is Failure To Launch about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Listeners are treated to a braided history of space exploration, focusing on technical feats, political intrigue, and high-stakes failures that shaped what's possible today. Episodes frequently cover pioneering hardware (rovers, rockets, satellites), darkly humorous takes on era-specific mishaps, and the broader geopolitical context driving space programs. Guests with hands-on engineering, archival, or artifact expertise help translate complex engineering into accessible storytelling, often linking past missions to present-day space policy and culture. A notable strength is the show's ability to blend rigorous technical detail with playful banter, making niche topics engaging for both hardcore space history buffs and curious newcomers. A re... more

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1. Lions Led By Donkeys Podcast
2. Blood Work
3. Well There‘s Your Problem
4. The Worst of All Possible Worlds
5. No Gods No Mayors

How many episodes of Failure To Launch are there?

Failure To Launch launched 5 years ago and published 130 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Failure To Launch?

Recent guests on Failure To Launch include:

1. Kaveh Hoda
2. Scooter Heathegg
3. Matt Lowne
4. Randolph P. Checkers
5. Victoria Scott
6. Ani Mejlumyan
7. Alan Jamieson
8. Joe Kassabian

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