Aerobatics with Mélanie Astles

Dr Kit Chapman, a science historian from Falmouth University, takes us into the historical context and significance of atomic cloud sampling, a dangerous method employed during the Cold War era. The focus is on the Ivy Mike nuclear test in 1952, where pilots flew into a thermonuclear bomb cloud to gather data, contributing to element discovery and the development of atomic science. The ramifications and loss experienced due to this risky operation are also discussed, shedding light on the high stakes of this secret procedure.

★You can follow Kit on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ChemistryKit

★Check out Kit's website at: https://kitchapman.co.uk/

★Buy Superheavy: Making and Breaking the Periodic Table by Kit Chapman at The Damcasters Bookshop.org in the UK. 10% of each sale goes to supporting the podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9781472953926

★Buy Racing Green: How Motorsport Science Can Save the World by Kit Chapman at The Damcasters Bookshop.org in the UK. 10% of each sale goes to supporting the podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9781472982193 

★Watch the Operation Ivy - Nuclear Fusion Test Film (1952) on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/be24Ft4kIa0?si=YYI30Wd5uhSpOgcB

★Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and grab some merch. Click here below for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

Please check out the latest from our sponsor, the Pima Air and Space Museum, through the links below:

★Visit the Pima Air and Space Museum’s website here: https://pimaair.org/

★Learn more about the Titan Missle Museum here: https://titanmissilemuseum.org/

★Find out who is in the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame here: https://pimaair.org/about-us/arizona-aviation-hall-of-fame/

★Want to know how the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum is progressing? Find out more here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/

The Damcasters © 2023 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Convair B-58 Hustler is regarded as one of the USAF's missteps in strategic bomber design from the 1950s and 60s. The claims that it was expensive and dangerous to fly led to its removal from service in the 1970s in favour of the Boeing B-52. But is that really the case? Former B-58 Navigator/Bombardier Col. Geroge Holt Jr. Rtd. joins us to reflect on his time on the Hustler and do some well-needed myth-busting.

★You can buy George's book, The B-58 Blunder: How the U.S. Abandoned its Best Strategic Bomber, at Amazon.

★US Link: https://www.amazon.com/B-58-Blunder-Abandoned-Strategic-Bomber/dp/B0BSJJPKXF/

★UK Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/B-58-Blunder-Abandoned-Strategic-Bomber/dp/0692478817

★Fancy becoming a Damcasteer? Join the fun on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and grab some merch. Click here below for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

Please check out the latest from our sponsor, the Pima Air and Space Museum, through the links below:

★Visit the Pima Air and Space Museum’s website here: https://pimaair.org/

★Learn more about the Titan Missle Museum here: https://titanmissilemuseum.org/

★Find out who is in the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame here: https://pimaair.org/about-us/arizona-aviation-hall-of-fame/

★Want to know how the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum is progressing? Find out more here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/

The Damcasters © 2022 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Crickmore has been chronicling the story of the Lockheed Blackbird family of aircraft, the A-12, YF-12 and SR71, for over 35 years. Paul has had incredible access to the designers, maintainers and pilots of the Blackbird over the years. Paul joins us today to tell us some of the stories he has captured in his final book, Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Mission - The Missing Chapters, which is out in the UK on the 23rd November and the 5th December in the US and Canada.

★You can buy Paul's book, Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Mission - The Missing Chapters, in the UK at The Damcasters Bookshop. 10% of every purchase goes to supporting the pod, here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9781472851383 

★Fancy becoming a Damcasteer? Join the fun on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and grab some merch. Click here below for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

Please check out the latest from our sponsor, the Pima Air and Space Museum, through the links below:

★Visit the Pima Air and Space Museum’s website here: https://pimaair.org/

★Learn more about the Titan Missle Museum here: https://titanmissilemuseum.org/

★Find out who is in the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame here: https://pimaair.org/about-us/arizona-aviation-hall-of-fame/

★Want to know how the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum is progressing? Find out more here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/

The Damcasters © 2022 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.