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The Space Shuttle: 5. Space truck

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle
Episode 5 of 10

President Reagan declares the space shuttle open for business. Then a satellite goes missing – it's lost in space. Can the crew fix it?

President Ronald Reagan declares the space shuttle open for business. It’s Independence Day 1982. And we’re in the sweltering Mojave desert of California.

Carrying commercial satellites into orbit is one of the shuttle’s jobs. But things start to go wrong for the astronauts when a $75-million satellite is lost in space.

And that’s just the start of a series of unfortunate events. Can they fix it and prove the space shuttle’s worth?

Some scenes in this series use recreated sound effects.

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle is a ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio Science Unit production for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service.

Hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Archive:
Ronald Reagan declares Space Shuttle open for business, Reagan Library, 1982
The story of satellite WESTAR 6 and Palapa, CBS News, 1986
STS 41-B coverage, CBS News and KTRH News, 1984
Mission audio and oral histories, Nasa History Office

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44 minutes

Last on

Sat 23 Aug 2025 21:32GMT
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only

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Broadcasts

  • Wed 20 Aug 2025 03:32GMT
    ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service
  • Wed 20 Aug 2025 10:32GMT
    ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service
  • Wed 20 Aug 2025 17:32GMT
    ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
  • Wed 20 Aug 2025 21:32GMT
    ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
  • Sat 23 Aug 2025 21:32GMT
    ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only

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