Season 1

Episode 012: Five Words

The Bureau of Astonishing Explanations — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 00:05:00 +0000

JFK added a phrase to his speech that brought the crowd to its feet. Hardly anyone noticed the ad lib.

Episode 011: Tower Cleared

The Bureau of Astonishing Explanations — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 00:05:00 +0000

Two words that defined NASA's org chart.

Episode 010: Robert Goddard vs The NY Times

The Bureau of Astonishing Explanations — Mon, 25 May 2015 00:05:00 +0000

The retraction took 49 years.

Episode 009: The First Photo of the Space Age

The Bureau of Astonishing Explanations — Tue, 19 May 2015 00:05:00 +0000

A view from on high.

Episode 008: Lost in Translation

The Bureau of Astonishing Explanations — Tue, 12 May 2015 00:05:00 +0000

What to say, and how to say it during a handshake in space.

Episode 007: Abe Lincoln on Mars

The Bureau of Astonishing Explanations — Tue, 05 May 2015 00:05:00 +0000

NASA made a cash deposit - - on another planet.

Episode 006: Mercury Do-Over

The Bureau of Astonishing Explanations — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 21:30:00 +0000

Alan Shepard almost became the only person to pilot a Mercury capsule twice. But plans changed.

Episode 005: Why We Sing of Rockets

The Bureau of Astonishing Explanations — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 21:29:00 +0000

We have Tipu Sultan to thank for The Star Spangl'd Banner.

Episode 004: The Road to the Moon

The Bureau of Astonishing Explanations — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 22:02:00 +0000

The road to the Moon is paved with Alabama river rocks.

Episode 003: Apollo 1966

The Bureau of Astonishing Explanations — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 18:37:00 +0000

In 1966, NASA created a series of "Artist's Conception" paintings of the Apollo lunar landings, expected to begin later the following year. The illustrations were seen everywhere, from magazines to school textbooks. They were dynamic images, but none of the scenes were animated - - until now.