Space Oddities Podcast Episode 7 Posts

 

In episode three of our Space Oddities Podcast series, we learned that the dream of sending civilians into space was nothing new. In the early 1960s, just a few years before we had actually landed men on the moon, the U.S. based Pan American Airlines began “taking names” and was compiling a list of passengers to be among the first civilians to go to the moon. It was called the First Moon Flight Club. Of course, it was an advertising gimmick but it worked and over 90,000 people signed up.

Before the Pan Am First Flight Club took off, and a few years before that first lunar landing, another business mogul, Baron Hilton, was taking that same concept and expanding on it, but unlike Pan Am, he was serious. The Hilton Hotel chain wanted to build a hotel on the moon.

Listen to "Episode 7: Stay Hilton, Go Everywhere...Literally" here or wherever you download your favorite podcasts. And be sure to take a look at the fascinating show notes included with the episode including clips from the TV series "Mad Men" about the Lunar Hilton.

The Space Oddities Countdown Begins

I would say that I am super excited about the upcoming release of my new book, Space Oddities:Forgotten Stories of Mankind’s Exploration of Space, but you all probably know that already since that’s all I’ve been talking about for weeks. 

The pre-release reviews have been great. It’s good to read that I hit the mark with my vision for the book. Some people did say that they already knew a few of the stories retold within the pages, that they weren’t “obscure” and “unknown”. 

I’ve mentioned this before but with only 40 days left until it hits bookstores, I felt it needed repeating. This book isn’t for diehard space geeks. It is for general readers who love a good tale and for those who love history and want to know the story behind the story. 

You will not find any technical discussions within its pages. It is simply a collection of fascinating stories from the early days of the space race that have either been long forgotten and pushed to the dustbin of history, have never been told before, or if they have been told, have a slightly different take on it. 

I was surprised to read but not really surprised since I get this ALL the time with all of my books, both the outdoor recreation and non-fiction history books, is: “why didn’t you include blah blah or blah blah? Shouldn’t that have been included?” 

Friends, there is only so much you can cover in a publisher limited word count. Trust me, there are many chapters sitting in a special folder on my laptop that needed to be told but didn’t make the cut, that’s why there is a companion podcast cleverly titled, “Space Oddities”, to bring those stories to life.

Even with the podcast, there are even more tales to tell, but I’ll leave those for another book.

But what I wanted to say is thank you to all who have pre-read the book. I take your reviews to heart and I am humbled by the glowing comments. It is so gratifying to read that my vision for Space Oddities has hit its mark. Thank you! 

The book is scheduled for release on August 15^th and will be available at your favorite local or online bookstore.

 

Space Oddities Episode 6 Has Dropped

Episode 6 of the Space Oddities Podcast is titled, “The Sue Me, Sue You Blues (With Apologies To George Harrison." The episode takes a look at several of the lawsuits filed against NASA and its astronauts. Most were trivial, some very serious including one in which the space agency actually sued one of their Apollo crew members. 

The title of the episode comes from a song written by former Beatle George Harrison during the band’s breakup and subsequent litany of lawsuits that followed. 

Click HERE to download / listen to the episode.