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.

Space Oddities Podcast Episode #5

 

My favorite episode of my Space Oddities Podcast has dropped! It’s called, “Sputniks and Mutniks”. I am a music lover by nature and began thinking about the great – and not so great – songs that were written and performed during the early days of spaceflight, in particular from Sputnik to the American Gemini program. Turns out, there were many!

This episode will introduce you to a few of the artists and sample some of the songs they recorded that documented our early days in space.

Be sure to look through the show notes where there are links to 20 more songs of the space age you can listen to with some trivial tidbits about the songs so you can amaze your friends on trivia night.

Space Oddities Episode 4 Has Dropped

 

Good morning, everyone! Episode 4 of the Space Oddities Podcast has just dropped. This episode takes a look a the lunar modules of the Apollo missions to the moon. They were never designed to return home to Earth and were destroyed one way or the other in space. One, however, escaped its preordained date with death and is still flying today over 50 years later. This is the story of the little LEM that could, how astronomers found it deep in space decades later, and the question - can it be brought home?

As always, the episode has video and image show notes. Take a listen. I'd love to hear your comments.

Click HERE to hear the episode.

Presentation & Book Signing June 4th

 

This Saturday, June 4th, high atop Alabama's tallest mountain, Cheaha State Park will be celebrating mankind's best hiking partner and friend - our pups during Bark in the Park. It is a three day event with plenty of activities and presentations for you and your dog. I will be there on Saturday from 11am to 2pm selling and signing copies of my book, Best Dog Hikes Alabama and will do a presentation at noon on what you need to know about hiking with your dog and the best places to hike in the state with them.

The complete schedule can be found here. Hope to see you there!

Space Oddities Episode 3

 

In case you haven't you missed it, episode 3 of my Space Oddities podcast has posted. It's titled, "The First Moon Flights Club" and can be heard now on Buzzsprout or wherever you download your favorite podcasts.