Orbital Briefing: The Missions, Machines, and People of Spaceflight

Jessica Meir — From Maine to ISS Commander

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir has gone from growing up in northern Maine to commanding the International Space Station. In this episode of Orbital Briefing, we explore Mei

Voyager Probes: Humanity’s Message to the Stars

In 1977, NASA launched two spacecraft that would change our understanding of the outer solar system forever. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were built to explore Jupiter and Sat

Orion, NASA’s Deep Space Crew Vehicle

In this episode of Orbital Briefing, Ron Walker explores Orion, NASA’s deep space crew vehicle built to carry astronauts beyond low Earth orbit and into the Artemis era.

Christina Koch: Artemis II, the ISS, and NASA’s Return to the Moon

NASA astronaut Christina Koch represents a new era of human spaceflight. From her record-setting 328-day mission aboard the International Space Station to her historic ro

Apollo 13: NASA’s Near Disaster, Moon Mission Crisis, and Safe Return to Earth

What really happened on Apollo 13? In this episode of Orbital Briefing, Ron Walker tells the full story of NASA’s most famous in-flight emergency, from the launch of the

Mission Control: How NASA Flies Spacecraft from Earth | Inside Houston’s Nerve Center

How does NASA actually fly a spacecraft once it leaves Earth? In this episode of Orbital Briefing, Ron Walker takes you inside Mission Control, the nerve center of Americ

Sputnik The Tiny Satellite That Started the Space Age

Sputnik: The Beginning of the Space Age takes you back to October 4, 1957, when Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, launched from the Soviet Union and changed hist

Jared Isaacman and NASA’s New Era | Artemis, Inspiration4, Polaris, and the Future of Spaceflight

In this episode of Orbital Briefing, Ron Walker takes a deep dive into Jared Isaacman, the 15th Administrator of NASA, exploring his path from entrepreneur and pilot to I

Apollo 8: The First Lunar Orbit | NASA’s Christmas Mission Around the Moon

In this episode of Orbital Briefing, we dive into Apollo 8, the groundbreaking NASA mission that became the first crewed flight to leave Earth orbit, the first to reach t

NASA IGNITION Explained: Artemis Update, Moon Base Plans, Mars, and Artemis II Launch

NASA just reshaped the future of human spaceflight. In this special Orbital Briefing update, Ron Walker breaks down the biggest announcements from NASA’s IGNITION event,

The Space Shuttle Heat Shield: How NASA Survived Reentry from Orbit

How did the Space Shuttle survive the most dangerous part of every mission? During reentry, the shuttle slammed into Earth’s atmosphere at over seventeen thousand miles

Artemis: Returning to the Moon | NASA’s Plan for a Moon Base and Mars

After more than fifty years, humanity is preparing to return to the Moon. In this episode of Orbital Briefing, Ron Walker takes a deep dive into NASA’s Artemis program —

Deke Slayton: The Astronaut Who Chose the Astronauts | Mercury Seven to Apollo–Soyuz

Deke Slayton helped decide who would fly some of the most important missions in the history of human spaceflight. In this episode of Orbital Briefing, host Ron Walker ex

Saturn V: The Rocket That Took NASA to the Moon | Apollo Program Deep Dive

The Saturn V rocket was the most powerful launch vehicle ever successfully flown — the machine that carried NASA’s Apollo astronauts to the Moon. Standing more than thre

The Dream of the Space Shuttle | NASA’s Reusable Spacecraft

After the Apollo Moon landings, NASA faced an uncertain future. The Saturn V rockets were retired, the Space Race had been won, and funding for space exploration was shri

Welcome to Orbital Briefing (Trailer)

Welcome to Orbital Briefing — the podcast exploring the missions, machines, and people of spaceflight. From the earliest days of the space race to the spacecraft now pre