Described as the BBC’s space podcast, 13 Minutes brings space exploration closer to you.

I was sitting at the table of friends enjoying conversation and tasty food, when someone mentioned this podcast. That piqued my curiosity so I gave it a try shortly afterward. I quickly finished Season 1. Not only because it’s about space exploration, Hans Zimmer provides the music. That says something about the level of the series. Listening to an episode while walking to work I’d occasionally find myself matching the crescendo of the music theme with my stride, arms hitting the air passionately. Truly hooked by the music theme.

BBC produces this podcast, so you get to hear the British English I enjoy so much, which only adds to my delight.

Season 1 and 2 are my favorites. It’s all about space but it’s history and much more. Like in season 1, one episode contains interviews of members of Project Apollo. One of them describes how far the dedication to the project went. Many divorced. That’s a point that made me sad and reflective. I find it sad that when a project reaches a certain scale (We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard) it has to be at the cost of the most precious foundations. Family in this case. We praise the achievements but we should not forget the costs. It certainly balances out my own perspective of the entire endeavor.

Kevin Fong presents season 1 and 2 and I liked it better than the current presenter, purely subjective though. For sure my own sense of discovery played a role too in me liking the first 24 episodes more. That does not mean though that I did not enjoy what came afterwards, I’m still excited to see new episodes popping up, the magic still works.