LA Made

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11:31

11:31

Special Feature: Pomona's Victor Glover Will Pilot NASA's 2024 Moon Mission

It's been more than 50 years since an American has set foot on the moon, or even gotten close to it. But on Monday, NASA named the four astronauts who will crew the upcoming Artemis II mission. One of the astronauts selected, Victor Glover, a Southern Californian from Pomona graduated from Ontario High School in 1994 and went on to study engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo before enlisting in the Navy in 1999 to become a pilot. Glover is the first African American assigned to a lunar mission and says of the experience, “This is well beyond my wildest dreams.” Support LAist Studios podcasts by donating now at LAist.com/join
25:15

Episode 14

25:15

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Flights of Fancy in Southern California (Bonus Episode)

What is it about gazing at the stars that inspires humans — including our very own Suicide Squad — to attempt the impossible? And what is it about sunny Southern California that inspires them to do it here? In this episode we find out. Support LA Made: Blood, Sweat & Rockets by donating now at LAist.com/join This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/ROCKETS

23:46

Episode 13

23:46

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Inside JPL (Bonus Episode)

We go inside the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and get a tour that’s not available to the public: watching technicians build spacecraft with Kobie Boykins, hanging out with Nagin Cox at the Mars Yard, and demystifying a campus famous for its secrecy. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/ROCKETS
22:16

Episode 12

22:16

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Legacy of Frank Malina

Frank Malina’s legacy has often been eclipsed by flashier figures in American aerospace (like Jack Parsons and Werner Von Braun). But in this episode, we’ll show how Malina’s work paved the way for modern spaceflight — and the future missions of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/ROCKETS
27:44

Episode 11

27:44

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Explosive Demise of Jack Parsons

When Jack Parsons dies in an explosion, conspiracy theories foment. Was it murder by a disgruntled ex-cop? Assassination by the US government? In this episode we wrestle to make sense of both the circumstances surrounding Parsons' death and the legacy he left behind. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/ROCKETS
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30:14

Episode 10

30:14

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Operation Paperclip

After WWII, the U.S. hired and promoted Nazi aerospace engineers in a program called Operation Paperclip — yet it drove away its own rocketeers, Malina and Tsien, for alleged communist activity. In this episode, we unpack that paradox. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/ROCKETS
28:37

Episode 9

28:37

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Curse of Tsien

While Frank Malina escaped the worst of the FBI's treatment, Suicide Squad member Tsien Hsue-Shen was not so lucky. This episode chronicles the shocking story of how the United States wound up losing one of its most brilliant minds in rocketry to China. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/ROCKETS
25:04

Episode 8

25:04

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Lucky Break

Malina leaves behind military work and brings his idealism to a new life and a new organization: UNESCO, in Paris. Back in the US, the FBI fumes, arrests Sidney Weinbaum, and makes every attempt to extradite Frank Malina… This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/ROCKETS
30:02

Episode 7

30:02

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Seeing Red

Horrified that his new rocket design will become the vehicle for a nuclear warhead, Malina leaves JPL… just in time for the Red Scare to ramp up. Malina flees to France, but the FBI is hot on his trail. And one of Malina’s former Aerojet colleagues seems more than happy to tell them about Malina’s communist past. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/ROCKETS
25:39

Episode 6

25:39

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Babalon

Jack Parsons’s involvement in sexmagick threatens his position at Aerojet. And his troubles at home reach a breaking point when a red-haired, thirtysomething science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard walks into his world… and catches the eye of Jack’s girlfriend. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/ROCKETS

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