LA Made: The Other Moonshot

By LAist Studios

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Category: Society & Culture

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Subscribers: 44
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Episodes: 27

Description

“LA Made” is a series exploring stories of bold Californian innovators and how they forever changed the lives of millions all over the world. Each season will unpack the untold and surprising stories behind some of the most exciting innovations that continue to influence our lives today.

Season 3, "LA Made: The Other Moonshot," tells the story of three Black aerospace engineers in Los Angeles, who played a crucial role in America’s race to space, amid the civil unrest of the 1960s.  When Joanne Higgins was growing up in Compton in Los Angeles, she heard her godfather, Charlie Cheathem, tell stories about his key role in the Apollo mission to the moon. As an adult, she realized that his experiences — and those of other Black engineers — had been left out of the history books. She set out to record for the first time the accounts of these men, now in their 90s, whose crucial contributions to the early days of the Apollo mission have been overlooked — or taken credit for by others — despite their ingenuity and determination. 

Season 2, “LA Made: The Barbie Tapes,” tells the backstory of the world’s most popular doll, Barbie. Barbie is a cultural icon but what do you really know about her? Hear Barbie's origin story from the people who created her. Co-hosted by Antonia Cereijido and M.G. Lord, author of Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll, hear the wild stories from never-before-heard tapes of interviews with Barbie inventor Ruth Handler, her wardrobe designer and the sculptors and fabricators, and the innovative marketers who made her what she is today. This 3-part series premieres July 6, 2023.

Season 1, “LA Made: Blood, Sweat & Rockets,” tells the hidden story of the fearless, groundbreaking and ambitious crew who shaped our quest to outer space and ushered in the early days of space exploration at Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at CalTech. Known as the “Suicide Squad,” the team’s road to triumph was fraught with controversies involving the occult, a suspected spy ring, unplanned explosions, and a suspicious death. Join writer and life-long aerospace fanatic M.G. Lord as she uncovers their story and reveals the shocking origins of rocket science in this 12 episode season.

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This podcast was made possible with support from the Committee for Greater LA in partnership with the Weingart Foundation.


Episode Date
Imperfect Paradise: How AI Became a Hollywood Villain – Especially for Animators
Mar 12, 2025
Imperfect Paradise: Highland Park: Land of the Snake
Mar 05, 2025
Part 4: The Landing
Feb 19, 2025
Part 3: Making an Impact
Feb 12, 2025
Part 2: Spring Loaded to Failure
Feb 05, 2025
Part 1: Ignition Starts
Jan 29, 2025
Introducing LA Made: The Other Moonshot (Coming January 29)
Jan 22, 2025
The Barbie Tapes: When Girls--and Barbie--Could Do Anything
Jul 20, 2023
The Barbie Tapes: Battle of the Bulge
Jul 13, 2023
The Barbie Tapes: A Toy is Born
Jul 06, 2023
Introducing LA Made: The Barbie Tapes from LAist Studios
Jul 04, 2023
Special Feature: Pomona's Victor Glover Will Pilot NASA's 2024 Moon Mission
Apr 08, 2023
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Flights of Fancy in Southern California (Bonus Episode)
Mar 14, 2023
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Inside JPL (Bonus Episode)
Mar 07, 2023
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Legacy of Frank Malina
Feb 28, 2023
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Explosive Demise of Jack Parsons
Feb 21, 2023
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Operation Paperclip
Feb 14, 2023
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Curse of Tsien
Feb 07, 2023
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Lucky Break
Jan 31, 2023
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Seeing Red
Jan 24, 2023
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Babalon
Jan 17, 2023
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Women in Aerospace
Jan 10, 2023
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Sexmagick in the Desert
Dec 06, 2022
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Other Side of Frank Malina
Nov 29, 2022
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Cred
Nov 22, 2022
Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Suicide Squad
Nov 15, 2022
Introducing LA Made: Blood, Sweat & Rockets, from LAist Studios
Nov 07, 2022