It was September 9, 2009; aka 09/09/09.

That was the easy-to-remember air date of the first episode of Talking Space. The Space Shuttle era was ending. As far as most of the public was concerned, that represented the death knell for the U.S. Space Program. But Gene, Mark and Sawyer knew better, and they were trying to figure out how to best spread the word that all was not lost.

Thus, Talking Space was born. And what a ride it’s been.

In Part 2 of this retrospective (Part 1 can be found here), the team reveals:

• The role of audience feedback – pros and cons, and the methods by which we receive it (and don’t, despite our best efforts);
• Our social media follies;
• The behind-the-scenes scrambles to cover launch anomalies;
• The proven importance of dissimilar redundancy, as well as interoperability;
• How we’ve dealt with the occasional bouts of podcast burnout over the last 15 years, because sometimes we just get tired, you know? And sometimes, Life just gets in the way. Those are the times we’re glad we’re not doing this podcasting stuff alone.

And we also talk about how much we value feedback from you, our listeners – even when you let us know you do not particularly agree with us.

Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the topics we discuss. You can always reach us at mailbag@TalkingSpaceOnline.com .

Show recorded 09-19-2023.

Host: Larry Herrin

Panelist(s): Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, Sawyer Rosenstein and Dr. Kat Robison

Podcast Editor: Larry Herrin