LA Made: The Other Moonshot podcast

LA Made: The Other Moonshot

“LA Made” is a series exploring stories of bold Californian innovators and how they forever changed the lives of millions all over the world. Each season will unpack the untold and surprising stories behind some of the most exciting innovations that continue to influence our lives today. Season 3, "LA Made: The Other Moonshot," tells the story of three Black aerospace engineers in Los Angeles, who played a crucial role in America’s race to space, amid the civil unrest of the 1960s. When Joanne Higgins was growing up in Compton in Los Angeles, she heard her godfather, Charlie Cheathem, tell stories about his key role in the Apollo mission to the moon. As an adult, she realized that his experiences — and those of other Black engineers — had been left out of the history books. She set out to record for the first time the accounts of these men, now in their 90s, whose crucial contributions to the early days of the Apollo mission have been overlooked — or taken credit for by others — despite their ingenuity and determination. Season 2, “LA Made: The Barbie Tapes,” tells the backstory of the world’s most popular doll, Barbie. Barbie is a cultural icon but what do you really know about her? Hear Barbie's origin story from the people who created her. Co-hosted by Antonia Cereijido and M.G. Lord, author of Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll, hear the wild stories from never-before-heard tapes of interviews with Barbie inventor Ruth Handler, her wardrobe designer and the sculptors and fabricators, and the innovative marketers who made her what she is today. This 3-part series premieres July 6, 2023. Season 1, “LA Made: Blood, Sweat & Rockets,” tells the hidden story of the fearless, groundbreaking and ambitious crew who shaped our quest to outer space and ushered in the early days of space exploration at Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at CalTech. Known as the “Suicide Squad,” the team’s road to triumph was fraught with controversies involving the occult, a suspected spy ring, unplanned explosions, and a suspicious death. Join writer and life-long aerospace fanatic M.G. Lord as she uncovers their story and reveals the shocking origins of rocket science in this 12 episode season. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This podcast was made possible with support from the Committee for Greater LA in partnership with the Weingart Foundation.

“LA Made” is a series exploring stories of bold Californian innovators and how they forever changed the lives of millions all over the world. Each season will unpack the untold and surprising stories behind some of the most exciting innovations that continue to influence our lives today. Season 3, "LA Made: The Other Moonshot," tells the story of three Black aerospace engineers in Los Angeles, who played a crucial role in America’s race to space, amid the civil unrest of the 1960s. When Joanne Higgins was growing up in Compton in Los Angeles, she heard her godfather, Charlie Cheathem, tell stories about his key role in the Apollo mission to the moon. As an adult, she realized that his experiences — and those of other Black engineers — had been left out of the history books. She set out to record for the first time the accounts of these men, now in their 90s, whose crucial contributions to the early days of the Apollo mission have been overlooked — or taken credit for by others — despite their ingenuity and determination. Season 2, “LA Made: The Barbie Tapes,” tells the backstory of the world’s most popular doll, Barbie. Barbie is a cultural icon but what do you really know about her? Hear Barbie's origin story from the people who created her. Co-hosted by Antonia Cereijido and M.G. Lord, author of Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll, hear the wild stories from never-before-heard tapes of interviews with Barbie inventor Ruth Handler, her wardrobe designer and the sculptors and fabricators, and the innovative marketers who made her what she is today. This 3-part series premieres July 6, 2023. Season 1, “LA Made: Blood, Sweat & Rockets,” tells the hidden story of the fearless, groundbreaking and ambitious crew who shaped our quest to outer space and ushered in the early days of space exploration at Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at CalTech. Known as the “Suicide Squad,” the team’s road to triumph was fraught with controversies involving the occult, a suspected spy ring, unplanned explosions, and a suspicious death. Join writer and life-long aerospace fanatic M.G. Lord as she uncovers their story and reveals the shocking origins of rocket science in this 12 episode season. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This podcast was made possible with support from the Committee for Greater LA in partnership with the Weingart Foundation.

 

#25

Part 4: The Landing

In the final episode of "LA Made: The Other Moonshot": Despite several stopgaps and hiccup... more

19 Feb 2025

43 MINS

43:48

19 Feb 2025


#24

Part 3: Making an Impact

In this episode of "LA Made: The Other Moonshot": The launch of Apollo 6. Nate and Charlie... more

12 Feb 2025

40 MINS

40:42

12 Feb 2025


#23

Part 2: Spring Loaded to Failure

In this episode of "LA Made: The Other Moonshot": Were these three engineers set up to fai... more

05 Feb 2025

45 MINS

45:20

05 Feb 2025


#22

Part 1: Ignition Starts

In this first episode of "LA Made: The Other Moonshot": America aims for the moon. Preside... more

29 Jan 2025

45 MINS

45:08

29 Jan 2025


#21

Introducing LA Made: The Other Moonshot (Coming January 29)

When Joanne Higgins was growing up in Compton in Los Angeles, she heard her godfather, Cha... more

22 Jan 2025

02 MINS

02:28

22 Jan 2025


#20

The Barbie Tapes: When Girls--and Barbie--Could Do Anything

In this episode, Ruth and Elliot Handler are gone, and the new Mattel team, led by a man w... more

20 Jul 2023

32 MINS

32:24

20 Jul 2023


#19

The Barbie Tapes: Battle of the Bulge

For Barbie, the cultural upheaval of the 60s and 70s incites one identity crisis after ano... more

13 Jul 2023

32 MINS

32:36

13 Jul 2023


#18

The Barbie Tapes: A Toy is Born

When Barbie arrives on the toy scene in 1959, her celebrity is instantaneous, and not just... more

06 Jul 2023

30 MINS

30:58

06 Jul 2023


#17

Introducing LA Made: The Barbie Tapes from LAist Studios

Season 2 of “LA Made” tells the true story of the making and marketing of the most famous ... more

04 Jul 2023

01 MINS

01:08

04 Jul 2023


#16

Special Feature: Pomona's Victor Glover Will Pilot NASA's 2024 Moon Mission

It's been more than 50 years since an American has set foot on the moon, or even gotten cl... more

08 Apr 2023

11 MINS

11:31

08 Apr 2023


#15

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Flights of Fancy in Southern California (Bonus Episode)

What is it about gazing at the stars that inspires humans — including our very own Suicide... more

14 Mar 2023

25 MINS

25:16

14 Mar 2023


#14

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Inside JPL (Bonus Episode)

We go inside the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and get a tour that’s not available to the publ... more

07 Mar 2023

23 MINS

23:47

07 Mar 2023


#13

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Legacy of Frank Malina

Frank Malina’s legacy has often been eclipsed by flashier figures in American aerospace (l... more

28 Feb 2023

22 MINS

22:17

28 Feb 2023


#12

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Explosive Demise of Jack Parsons

When Jack Parsons dies in an explosion, conspiracy theories foment. Was it murder by a dis... more

21 Feb 2023

27 MINS

27:44

21 Feb 2023


#11

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Operation Paperclip

After WWII, the U.S. hired and promoted Nazi aerospace engineers in a program called Opera... more

14 Feb 2023

30 MINS

30:15

14 Feb 2023


#10

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Curse of Tsien

While Frank Malina escaped the worst of the FBI's treatment, Suicide Squad member Tsien Hs... more

07 Feb 2023

28 MINS

28:38

07 Feb 2023


#9

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Lucky Break

Malina leaves behind military work and brings his idealism to a new life and a new organiz... more

31 Jan 2023

25 MINS

25:05

31 Jan 2023


#8

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Seeing Red

Horrified that his new rocket design will become the vehicle for a nuclear warhead, Malina... more

24 Jan 2023

30 MINS

30:02

24 Jan 2023


#7

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Babalon

Jack Parsons’s involvement in sexmagick threatens his position at Aerojet. And his trouble... more

17 Jan 2023

25 MINS

25:40

17 Jan 2023


#6

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Women in Aerospace

Women trailblazers in aerospace often weren’t credited — including one woman who accomplis... more

10 Jan 2023

25 MINS

25:52

10 Jan 2023


#5

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Sexmagick in the Desert

While Frank Malina struggles with the militarization of his work, Jack Parsons is not so b... more

06 Dec 2022

26 MINS

26:33

06 Dec 2022


#4

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Other Side of Frank Malina

Frank Malina is wracked with inner conflict over working for the military. His calls for s... more

29 Nov 2022

30 MINS

30:39

29 Nov 2022


#3

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Cred

The semi-successful Halloween test earns the squad some legitimacy and some money. Without... more

22 Nov 2022

26 MINS

26:30

22 Nov 2022


#2

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Suicide Squad

Meet the Suicide Squad: Jack Parsons, Frank Malina, and their crew. They're a band of youn... more

15 Nov 2022

25 MINS

25:43

15 Nov 2022


#1

Introducing LA Made: Blood, Sweat & Rockets, from LAist Studios

From NASA sending astronauts to the moon to billionaires launching themselves into space, ... more

07 Nov 2022

04 MINS

04:46

07 Nov 2022