Amy Shira Teitel – Medium

Amy Shira Teitel

Wernher von Braun’s Hugely Complicated Legacy

Wernher von Braun went from meetings with Hitler about Germany’s V-2 to lead architect behind the Saturn V in about 20 years.

Mar 9

Wernher von Braun’s Hugely Complicated Legacy

Mar 9

When Republicans Were Democrats: the Party Flip

Both the Republican and Democratic parties are unrecognizable from where they started. How did they start, and how did they flip?

Oct 27, 2024

When Republicans Were Democrats: the Party Flip

Oct 27, 2024

America’s History of Aggression Against Canada

Has the US really tried and failed to invade Canada mutiple times. Yes.

Dec 4, 2022

America’s History of Aggression Against Canada

Dec 4, 2022

Daylight Saving Time has Always Been a Mess

Twenty-three time changes in one state? Daylight Saving Time has been a mess for decades.

Nov 8, 2022

Daylight Saving Time has Always Been a Mess

Nov 8, 2022

When Tulips Were Worth More than Gold

Tulips were once worth more than gold making them a great analogy for the modern NFT market.

Jun 7, 2022

When Tulips Were Worth More than Gold

Jun 7, 2022

Why Sweden Changed Driving Side

September 3, 1967, was Dagen-H. It was the day Sweden switched to right-side driving.

Mar 28, 2022

Why Sweden Changed Driving Side

Mar 28, 2022

The Interrobang Deserves a Comeback

The Interrobang is the punctuation mark the Internet needs.

Feb 13, 2022

The Interrobang Deserves a Comeback

Feb 13, 2022

Wild Alternate Lunar Rovers from the 1960s

From huge homes to motorcycles, NASA explored a lot of lunar rovers in the 1960s that never got to the Moon.

Dec 15, 2021

Wild Alternate Lunar Rovers from the 1960s

Dec 15, 2021

Jet Packs on the Moon!

NASA almost sent astronauts to the Moon with jet packs instead of rovers. Almost.

Nov 18, 2021

Jet Packs on the Moon!

Nov 18, 2021

Worms on the Moon

Instead of the Lunar Rover, we almost had the Lunar Worm.

Oct 20, 2021

Worms on the Moon

Oct 20, 2021

Space-Walking in Rocket Shoes

NASA almost outfitted its astronauts with rocket-powered jet shoes. Almost.

Aug 6, 2021

Space-Walking in Rocket Shoes

Aug 6, 2021

NASA Needed Thousands of Men to Recover its Astronauts

Have you ever wondered just how many men it took to pluck one astronaut out of the ocean after a space flight?

Jul 9, 2021

NASA Needed Thousands of Men to Recover its Astronauts

Jul 9, 2021

How Do Planetary Flybys ActuallyWork?

Gravity assists, sometimes called flybys, are a big part of space exploration. Here’s how they work and some famous examples.

May 14, 2021

How Do Planetary Flybys ActuallyWork?

May 14, 2021

Published in
The Vintage Space

The Post-Apollo Human Mission to Venus

In the mid-1960s, NASA began planning its post-lunar landing goals. Among them, a possible human mission to Venus.

Apr 28, 2021

The Post-Apollo Human Mission to Venus

Apr 28, 2021

Published in
The Vintage Space

The Slow Demise of the CIA’s A-12

The A-12 was beyond the state of the art of aviation technology. Here’s how the program fell apart before it even flew.

Apr 2, 2021

The Slow Demise of the CIA’s A-12

Apr 2, 2021

The CIA’s A-12 was Almost Obsolete Before it Ever Flew

The A-12 was meant to extend the U-2’s spy capabilities. Instead it was almost unneeded by the time it was ready to fly.

Mar 6, 2021

The CIA’s A-12 was Almost Obsolete Before it Ever Flew

Mar 6, 2021

America Spying with the Corona Satellites

How the United States harnessed nascent rocket technology to spy on the Soviet Union in during the Cold War.

Jan 29, 2021

America Spying with the Corona Satellites

Jan 29, 2021

How The Gary Powers U-2 Incident Really Unfolded

What happened when the secret, invincible spy plane was downed over the Soviet Union.

Dec 16, 2020

How The Gary Powers U-2 Incident Really Unfolded

Dec 16, 2020

Published in
The Vintage Space

An Uncommon Remembrance of Chuck Yeager

Chuck Yeager is best known as the first person to fly faster than sound, but I love his close friendship with Jackie Cochran.

Dec 11, 2020

An Uncommon Remembrance of Chuck Yeager

Dec 11, 2020

Published in
The Vintage Space

The “Invisible” U-2 Immediately Became a Political Nightmare

The U-2 was meant to be impossible to track. As soon as it flew over Soviet airspace, interceptors were on its tail.

Nov 25, 2020

The “Invisible” U-2 Immediately Became a Political Nightmare

Nov 25, 2020

Amy Shira Teitel

Amy Shira Teitel

Historian and author of Fighting for Space (February 2020) from Grand Central Publishing. Also public speaker, TV personality, and YouTuber. [The Vintage Space]

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