E8 Friendship 7

It’s finally here. After more delays than a modern-day countdown, Episode 9 of A New Frontier is officially live. (I know my two loyal listeners are wiping away tears of relief right now.)

This week, we are finally throwing out the quick, 15-minute suborbital hops and going all the way around the planet. It’s time for America’s response to Yuri Gagarin, piloted by the ultimate Marine Corps straight-arrow and public relations champion, John Glenn, aboard Friendship 7.

In this extended episode, we dive deep into the weeds of the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission:

• The Atlas LV-3B: The terrifyingly powerful "steel balloon" ICBM that would literally crumple like an empty soda can if it lost pressure on the pad.

• The Global Web: How NASA spent millions building an 18-station tracking network just so they could hear Glenn’s voice for a few minutes at a time.

• Space Fireflies: The mysterious, swirling luminescent particles that baffled Glenn until science ruined the magic.

• Segment 51: The heart-stopping telemetry warning that convinced Mission Control the capsule's heat shield was loose, turning re-entry into a literal, flaming guessing game of survival.

Strap into your custom-molded couch, look out the window, and let's find out how the US finally put itself on even footing in the Space Race.