The Flag Is A One - Part 2

In part 2 of the The Flag Is A One Terranauts podcast episode we continue the story of a little known moment of high drama in the Canadian space program surrounding the crucial Communications Technology Satellite mission.

In 1976, Canada and the world were in the midst of a telecommunications revolution. Determined to use satellite communications, John Chapman led a bold effort to build and test a satellite that would become the prototype of what we now think of as a telecommunications satellite. But the Communications Technology Satellite mission almost ended before it began. Mac Evans, who was there, as the Mission Director – is here today to tell us the story.

In part 2 of “The Flag Is A One” we pick up the story of the Communications Technology Satellite just as a perplexing and potentially mission ending failure is occurring. Mac Evans will take us through a few days of high drama in the Mission Operations Centre as the team tries to use a tiny little bit of data to diagnose the problem, and fix it. It’s a classic Terranaut story.

About Terranauts season 2

This year on Terranauts we’re going to offer a mix of interviews with Terranauts, people who go to space all the time without leaving the planet, and we’re also planning regular instalments of the Terranauts Guide to Leaving the Planet where we explore the history of humankind’s adventures off the planet.