Space Race: The Prequel (Part Two)

If you haven't listened already, go back and check out Part One. When you hear 'space race' you probably (correctly) think about the 1960s Soviet Union v. U.S. race to put an astronaut on the Moon. But a few hundred years before, the space race was all about Venus. About twice every century we here on Earth get to see Venus pass in the front of the Sun. Back the 18th and 19th centuries, this was a Big Deal. At the time, all astronomers wanted to be the first to use the transit of Venus to figure out the distance between the Earth and the Sun. In Part Two we're bringing you more adventures to observe the transit and talking about what the result (or lack of results) meant for astronomy.

Thanks to our guests in this episode:

• Ted Rafferty, formerly of the United States Naval Observatory
• Dr. Samantha Thompson, Astronomy Curator - National Air and Space Museum

Find the transcript here.

AirSpace is created by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum with generous support from Lockheed Martin.