The collapse of the Arecibo Observatory in 2020 marked the end of an era for generations of astronomers, climatologists, SETI researchers, and space enthusiasts.

From 1963 until its closure in 2023, Arecibo, Puerto Rico housed the world’s largest radio telescope, and “2010” was originally going to start there!

Thanks to The Odyssey File, we have Arthur C. Clarke and Peter Hyams’ insightful and hilarious conversations about the concepts, logistics, and challenges that ultimately lead from Puerto Rico to New Mexico and the VLA.

Plus: the arguments around transmitting messages to outer space, Carl Sagan, pulsars, and Goldeneye!

Monday, April 8, marks the biggest, longest, most widely visible solar eclipse to cross the United States in a long time, and the last one for 20 years!

Celebrate the eclipse experience, the history, myth and lore, and amazing science that only comes in that breathtaking few minutes. Tips on how to look, what to look for, and what to expect from Wes, and from NASA (Tahira Allen and Dr. Gina DiBraccio.)

Check out Arthur C. Clarke's observations, and the instances of eclipses and celestial alignments in the Odyssey series.

Plus: helium, reptile housemates, and Lance Bass!

NASA Solar Eclipse

NASA Eclipse Explorer - Where and When

NASA Live Eclipse Broadcast

For our first look at the book The Official Art of 2010, we pay tribute to the genius of concept artist Syd Mead, his career in industry and in entertainment, and his unique vision.

He imagined not only cars, spinners, ships of sea, air and space, but immersive now worlds around them. Celebrating the beauty of both form and function, his designs are always the perfect synthesis of art and engineering.

His contributions to Star Trek, Blade Runner, Aliens, Tron, and of course, 2010: The Year We Make Contact!

This week it's the LEONOV, from concept to craft. Follow along with the pictures at Articles & Resources.

Plus: CD-rom games, Gundam, and goulash

Haunted by his past, Dr. Floyd moves to Hawaii and makes a new life with marine biologist wife, Caroline, and young son, Christopher.

Still healing from years of tragedy, he finds himself at a crossroads to reinvent his purpose. Taking the last opportunity to atone for all that had gone horribly wrong, and the sacrifices he - and his family - have to make. 

The Odyssey File is a fascinating peek into the film's development and production, with candid conversations between Arthur C. Clarke and Peter Hyams.

They reveal the elaborate details of Heywood's Honolulu home, and the real and surreal journey of getting dolphins in the house. 

Plus: Esther Williams, orangutans dressed as highland gorillas, and penguins dressed as Pooh.

We're back on the Moon! Thanks to the success of our aptly named "Odysseus" lander, NASA and Intuitive Machines are kicking off a year full of amazing lunar landings and experiments.

As the crew of Artemis II prepare to launch next September, what could be our future on the Moon?

What are the benefits and downsides of nations or corporations leading the charge?

The importance of NASA and its core mission to benefit humanity, and the increasing gains in diversity, exciting new accelerated research, and cancer eradication experiments.

Plus: pogo sticks, surviving on the air from hot fries bags, and the continued purpose and strategy of the International Space Station - in its future, we see a wheel!

Sunrise at the Very Large Array Telescope (VLA), and Drs. Floyd and Moisevitch have to plan a bi-lateral salvage operation between opposing world powers in less than two minutes.

It's 2010's new space race, as filmed during the Cold War in '84. 

Dial in on the real-life function and history of the world's largest radio telescope array, and its ever-expanding future!

Plus: the NICER way of radio scanning, planning a trip to Jupiter, and Lewis & Clarke! (Clive & Arthur - a surprising friendship.)

2010 Year has docked! We’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of Peter Hyams & Arthur Clarke’s knockout followup, 2010: The Year We Make Contact with a year of exciting discoveries following the team who rediscover Discovery One!

And, of course, we still have plenty more to come on 2001.

This week, a (fairly) spoiler-free introduction to 2010, the background, our love for it, and why we believe it deserves just as much conversation and provokes as many questions for what it is: NOT a sequel to perhaps the greatest motion picture of all time, but its own fascinating story told its own way. A Kubrick-sanctioned, Arthur C. Clarke-written, Academy Award-nominated science fiction classic.

Plus: we’ve booked a ride on the Europa Clipper! (We will attempt no landing there.)

Checking in to the universe's most exclusive hotel, it's time to unpack, explore, and maybe play a little chess. Is that a Louis XVI throne pod?

Dave and Frank's relationship, and humans' innate need for each other. Long-term isolation: is it tao, torment, or vacation?

Gilded cage or petrie dish, this surreal environment evokes the most basic questions of life:
What is time?  When is a ceiling a floor? Are we in the bathroom?

So many hidden meanings, so little much time. 

Plus: Homesteading Space by David Hitt and the Skylab gravitational belly pull factor.

R.H. Vatcher is BACK to toast in the New Year with a smorgasbord of insights from his 2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV.

Uncovering the many cultural elements revolving around this elliptical journey, from Jungian breakthrough to the groundbreaking scientific discoveries showcased in Life Magazine.

How serendipity or subconscious parallels to the prior roles of these now iconic actors may have influenced their casting.

The impact of Star Trek on a generation and its connections to 2001.

Plus: does Fellini + Kubrick = 2008 & 1/2? (okay, it'd be 2009 1/2, but c'mon...)  

Also check out R.H. Vatcher's:

Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'

I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'

Crusty socks hung with care, meat tube trimmed, hot fries smoking on an electrical fire... We're ready for Christmas, but is HAL? 

Every science fiction movie since "2001" has been inspired, directly or indirectly by it, often even employing its original visual effects pioneers. For one artist, slit-scan was just the beginning...

Cinerama to IMAX to the future of moving images with MAGI - Douglas Trumbull has always been at the forefront of experiential cinema.

In films like "2001," "Silent Running," "Close Encounters," and "Blade Runner," and large format exhibitions like "To The Moon and Beyond" and "Back To The Future: The Ride" he invented and innovated his way into movie history, and ended up with a few patents along the way.

From the 1960s to his untimely death last year he left behind a massive body of experimental work that is decades ahead of current technology, paving the way for the virtual stage production of "Avatar," VR performance capture, and immersive technology to come.

Step right up, folks, step right up - following our interview with Victor Scherrer, it's the SKYLAB Super Show!!

SEE: the famous Commander Conrad and his parasol acrobatics duo, Weitz & Kerwin!

SEE: Big Al Bean the weightless weightlifter, with "Shades" Garriott & Jumpin' Jack Lausma and the twin pole thermal space waltz!

SEE: "Comet" Carr and the Kohouteks live, opening for the Gibson-Pogue Antenna Experiment!

AND...the wondrous Alyene Baker and her magical sewing speed skills!

Plus: Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum, and the animals of Apollo (oh, and Phooey).

On this very special Thanksgiving episode we have a legendary guest, SKYLAB all-star Victor Scherrer of the Naval Research Laboratory, who co-designed the solar cameras for the Apollo Telescope Mount. He shares with us an intimate history of the program, the challenges and the victories of America's first space station!

PLUS: Mr. Scherrer has written an EXCLUSIVE ILLUSTRATED ARTICLE for us, detailing the origin, development and implementation of the solar cameras and each mission's responsibilities. 

(Historians interested in more of Mr. Scherrer's work, email spacepodyssey2001@gmail.com to get in touch.)

November 30 marks the birthday of one of the greatest filmmakers of all time (and Brad's former boss), Sir Ridley Scott! To celebrate, we've dug into the archives to hear just how much his cinematic journey has echoed our very own Stanley Kubrick.

From "2001" to "Alien" and "Blade Runner," from "Barry Lyndon" to "Kingdom of Heaven" and "The Duellists," from "Paths of Glory" to "Black Hawk Down," "Full Metal Jacket" to "G.I. Jane," and from "Napoleon" to "Napoleon," the themes and connections just keep coming...

So raise a glass to the guv'nor, and remember: Xenophobia Sucks!

Would there even be a "Space Odyssey" without the inestimable impact of two educational short films: "Universe" (1960) and "To The Moon and Beyond" (1964)?

Not without the (Oscar-winning?) all-star team making history:  Douglas Trumbull, Con Pederson, and Wally Gentleman! The agony and the ecstasy, the feuds, the fights, and the fun. How they forever changed the world of visual effects, one gouache stroke at a time.

WARNING: playing a drinking game with the name "Wally Gentleman" this episode may be hazardous to your health.

Original music by the creators of this podcast. 

The pod has left Discovery, and now it's just us, Dave, and Gyorgy Ligeti. Through the monolith and into the stargate, we're hurtling past exploding nubulae ... alien civilizations ... Scotland?

How far beyond Jupiter is the infinite, or has it been right here the whole time? And how similar is transcending space-time to yanking a tablecloth?

Plus licorice, socks, AND: Do black holes store your browser history?

It's Halloween, and it's "The Shining." What we talk about is so terrifying and twisted, instead of a summary here's an episode Bingo card. Play along at home (if you dare...)

B-I-N-G-O

-Glacier National Park
-NOW (National Organization for Women)
-shadow as allegory
-Rumer Godden
-Fyodor Dostoevksy
-"Emergency!"
-Sigmund Freud
-Kool-Aid
-J.D. Salinger
-Peekaboo
-Bruno Bettelheim
-Winnie The Pooh
-Carl Jung
-Bugs Bunny

Check out R.H. Vatcher's:

2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV

Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'

I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'

"2001" and "The Shining" are the ultimate twin enigmas of cinema, but how much of Kubrick's commentary is actually onscreen? Turns out, an ashtray is not just an ashtray. R.H. Vatcher reveals the clues hidden throughout the labyrinth of images within images.

Take the plunge with us through the murky depths of "The Shining" from its psychological themes to the subconscious motivations of these complex characters. 

The secret importance Alex Colville, Susan Sontag, Jim Morrison and a pack of Marlboros.

What if Wendy is the real writer? Who is really attacking Danny and why? If only Jack had been a dull boy... 

Check out R.H. Vatcher's 2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV

Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'

I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'

This episode contains discussion and clips of dramatized physical and verbal abuse, murder, and suicide. Listener discretion is advised. 

Call 988 or go to 988lifeline.org to get 24/7 call, text and chat access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing suicidal, substance use, and/or mental health crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress  -- The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline).

Level 2 of our roller coaster with author R.H. Vatcher races us through the intensity of boot camp, the similarities between HAL and Private Pyle, and the vulnerabilities of Dave Bowman and Danny Torrance.

Fasten your seatbelts as we plunge into the vast possibilites of mise-en-abyme. Plus, Kubrick's inspirations from the paintings of William Hogarth and the importance of the bathroom.

Follow along with photos on Articles & Resources 

Check out R.H. Vatcher's 2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV

Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'

I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'

It's our first in a series with author R.H. Vatcher! We're talking about all the connections he has revealed between 2001 & the 1964 World's Fair. Also, Katharina Kubrick's memories of the fair and the elusive history of IBM's connection to the film.

These are some deep discoveries and crazy connections... Conn Peterson & Douglas Trumbull! Arthur C. Clarke shocked by smiling strangers! Detergents, dolphins, animatronic dogs, (and bush babies) oh my!

Follow along with photos on Articles & Resources

Featuring Emily Love Potts as Katharina Kubrick.

Check out R.H. Vatcher's:

2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV

Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'

I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'