We talk about the Space Race, the politics of Soyuz/Apollo, the ISS and environmental history with guest Professor Neil Maher

We all have this instinct to explore, and to reach the stars. Humans quest for space exploration became a reality when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik on October 4, 1957. This was the inauguration of the “Space Age”  Sputnik, was the world’s first artificial satellite. The spacecraft, was named Sputnik after the Russian word for “fellow traveler.” It circled Earth once every hour and 36 minutes. Traveling at 18,000 miles an hour, it was visible with binoculars before sunrise or after sunset. Sputnik transmitted radio signals back to Earth strong enough to be picked up by amateur radio operators. In January 1958, Sputnik’s orbit deteriorated, as expected, and the spacecraft burned up in the atmosphere.  To say the least the U.S. government, military, and scientific community were caught off guard by the Soviet technological achievement, and their united efforts to catch up with the Soviets heralded the beginning of the “space race.” But when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, it was check mate for the United States. Our guest Neil Maher, knows a thing or two about the history of the space program. Our discussion takes us to the Apollo Project, Soyuz, the International Space Station, the cost of space programs and how those projects affect politics, history and human life on Earth.