Amy Shira Teitel
@amyshirateitel.bsky.social
Author, historian, streamer, YouTuber, writer.
Been sorting through all the Apollo-era stuff I've accumulated over the years and this picture of Apollo 12's ALSEP package made me giggle a little. I know it's important, but something about a picture of a box of stuff has real "and here's our bag arriving at the hotel" energy.
May 26, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Been sorting through all the Apollo-era stuff I've accumulated over the years and this picture of Apollo 12's ALSEP package made me giggle a little. I know it's important, but something about a picture of a box of stuff has real "and here's our bag arriving at the hotel" energy.
YouTube seriously put ads every three minutes in my new video. This is insane. This is such a huge deterrent for viewers, which in turn hurts the creator. If you don't manually adjust your ad breaks, this is apparently YouTube's new default.
(New video is up tomorrow with only two ad breaks.)
(New video is up tomorrow with only two ad breaks.)
May 16, 2025 at 3:03 PM
YouTube seriously put ads every three minutes in my new video. This is insane. This is such a huge deterrent for viewers, which in turn hurts the creator. If you don't manually adjust your ad breaks, this is apparently YouTube's new default.
(New video is up tomorrow with only two ad breaks.)
(New video is up tomorrow with only two ad breaks.)
Looking at this picture as a kid, I always wondered how the astronaut -- whose name I didn't know -- wasn't scared. A few years ago I got to ask Bruce McCandless about this picture! He said, in short, that NASA wouldn't let him enjoy the moment!
December 16, 2024 at 7:15 PM
Looking at this picture as a kid, I always wondered how the astronaut -- whose name I didn't know -- wasn't scared. A few years ago I got to ask Bruce McCandless about this picture! He said, in short, that NASA wouldn't let him enjoy the moment!
Apollo 15, which flew from July 26 – August 7, 1971, was the fourth lunar landing. It was the first longer stay "J" mission and the first to use the Lunar Rover. We don't talk about that enough!
November 25, 2024 at 3:45 PM
Apollo 15, which flew from July 26 – August 7, 1971, was the fourth lunar landing. It was the first longer stay "J" mission and the first to use the Lunar Rover. We don't talk about that enough!
The classic, Apollo 8 Earthrise doesn't have the same human feeling, even though it was taken by Bill Anders. We know a human is behind the lens but it doesn't feel the same without seeing a little bit of the spacecraft accidentally in frame!
November 25, 2024 at 3:45 PM
The classic, Apollo 8 Earthrise doesn't have the same human feeling, even though it was taken by Bill Anders. We know a human is behind the lens but it doesn't feel the same without seeing a little bit of the spacecraft accidentally in frame!
Possibly my favourite picture of the Earth from the Moon, this one taken on Apollo 15.
I love this one because it isn't perfect. You can see the windowsill, you can feel that one of the astronauts is behind the camera. It's not perfectly framed but that makes it so human!
I love this one because it isn't perfect. You can see the windowsill, you can feel that one of the astronauts is behind the camera. It's not perfectly framed but that makes it so human!
November 25, 2024 at 3:45 PM
Possibly my favourite picture of the Earth from the Moon, this one taken on Apollo 15.
I love this one because it isn't perfect. You can see the windowsill, you can feel that one of the astronauts is behind the camera. It's not perfectly framed but that makes it so human!
I love this one because it isn't perfect. You can see the windowsill, you can feel that one of the astronauts is behind the camera. It's not perfectly framed but that makes it so human!
There's a persistent myth that Stalin loved Coca-Cola so much that he had a clear version made so he could drink it without seeming to engage with anything American. It wasn't Stalin. It was Zukhov! This is a fun story!
November 22, 2024 at 2:45 PM
There's a persistent myth that Stalin loved Coca-Cola so much that he had a clear version made so he could drink it without seeming to engage with anything American. It wasn't Stalin. It was Zukhov! This is a fun story!
The lesser known, more literal space race: Apollo 11 vs. Luna 15. I like this one, it's a fun story!
November 21, 2024 at 4:09 PM
The lesser known, more literal space race: Apollo 11 vs. Luna 15. I like this one, it's a fun story!
One of my favourite parts of this story is that von Braun used misprinted papers to create a phony SS branch to give his team passage right under guards' noses; his own SS rank helped. They successfully hid V-2s and parts in a mountain mine before surrendering!
Link to my book! bit.ly/astbtcog
Link to my book! bit.ly/astbtcog
November 19, 2024 at 3:37 PM
One of my favourite parts of this story is that von Braun used misprinted papers to create a phony SS branch to give his team passage right under guards' noses; his own SS rank helped. They successfully hid V-2s and parts in a mountain mine before surrendering!
Link to my book! bit.ly/astbtcog
Link to my book! bit.ly/astbtcog
Lots more to say about this one, but for now, a little teaser on this most creative WWII unit!
Vonnegut’s Bluebeard is about an ex-soldier turned artist. At one point he mentions painting tanks, and it reminded me I want to know more about these artistic tanks! Images via National WWII Museum.
Vonnegut’s Bluebeard is about an ex-soldier turned artist. At one point he mentions painting tanks, and it reminded me I want to know more about these artistic tanks! Images via National WWII Museum.
November 18, 2024 at 3:05 PM
Lots more to say about this one, but for now, a little teaser on this most creative WWII unit!
Vonnegut’s Bluebeard is about an ex-soldier turned artist. At one point he mentions painting tanks, and it reminded me I want to know more about these artistic tanks! Images via National WWII Museum.
Vonnegut’s Bluebeard is about an ex-soldier turned artist. At one point he mentions painting tanks, and it reminded me I want to know more about these artistic tanks! Images via National WWII Museum.
The first American in space smelled like pee.
November 17, 2024 at 3:01 PM
The first American in space smelled like pee.
NASA basically didn't want Apollo astronauts freaking out so kept up a constant dialogue.
I asked Bruce McCandless about it once, regarding this MMU test. He said he wanted to turn his back on the Shuttle and enjoy a moment of completely solitude but Capcom wouldn't shut up!
I asked Bruce McCandless about it once, regarding this MMU test. He said he wanted to turn his back on the Shuttle and enjoy a moment of completely solitude but Capcom wouldn't shut up!
November 13, 2024 at 2:13 PM
NASA basically didn't want Apollo astronauts freaking out so kept up a constant dialogue.
I asked Bruce McCandless about it once, regarding this MMU test. He said he wanted to turn his back on the Shuttle and enjoy a moment of completely solitude but Capcom wouldn't shut up!
I asked Bruce McCandless about it once, regarding this MMU test. He said he wanted to turn his back on the Shuttle and enjoy a moment of completely solitude but Capcom wouldn't shut up!
I just really love the Gemini program and I've been making little videos about some of my favourite tidbits!
Related: On this mission, Pete Conrad said he should have brought a book. The eight days got pretty monotonous.
Related: On this mission, Pete Conrad said he should have brought a book. The eight days got pretty monotonous.
November 13, 2024 at 2:13 PM
I just really love the Gemini program and I've been making little videos about some of my favourite tidbits!
Related: On this mission, Pete Conrad said he should have brought a book. The eight days got pretty monotonous.
Related: On this mission, Pete Conrad said he should have brought a book. The eight days got pretty monotonous.
Working on something COMPLETELY unrelated somehow reminded me how much I love Tycho Brahe's geoheliocentric model!
November 10, 2024 at 4:02 PM
Working on something COMPLETELY unrelated somehow reminded me how much I love Tycho Brahe's geoheliocentric model!
Hi, I'm Amy, historian mostly of science with a lot of US history, author of two books, and that person you probably see if you fall asleep watching the Science Channel.
It occurs to me that if I'm finally going to be active here I ought to introduce myself!
It occurs to me that if I'm finally going to be active here I ought to introduce myself!
November 8, 2024 at 2:32 PM
Hi, I'm Amy, historian mostly of science with a lot of US history, author of two books, and that person you probably see if you fall asleep watching the Science Channel.
It occurs to me that if I'm finally going to be active here I ought to introduce myself!
It occurs to me that if I'm finally going to be active here I ought to introduce myself!
I don't have a massive audience here so bit of a long shot, but any physicists out there I could talk to about a video I'm writing? Want to make sure I'm getting a lot of big things right!
Spectral bands of star types for visibility, and also somewhat related to what I'm working on!
Spectral bands of star types for visibility, and also somewhat related to what I'm working on!
November 7, 2024 at 5:48 PM
I don't have a massive audience here so bit of a long shot, but any physicists out there I could talk to about a video I'm writing? Want to make sure I'm getting a lot of big things right!
Spectral bands of star types for visibility, and also somewhat related to what I'm working on!
Spectral bands of star types for visibility, and also somewhat related to what I'm working on!
The Confederacy was HUGE! I drew maps for my latest YouTube video and I had no idea how massive the Confederacy was. This visualization helped!
And yes, I know it wasn't a full flip; the full video explains it in more detail! Check it out here: youtu.be/h3WTxZOJkDA
And yes, I know it wasn't a full flip; the full video explains it in more detail! Check it out here: youtu.be/h3WTxZOJkDA
October 29, 2024 at 8:37 PM
The Confederacy was HUGE! I drew maps for my latest YouTube video and I had no idea how massive the Confederacy was. This visualization helped!
And yes, I know it wasn't a full flip; the full video explains it in more detail! Check it out here: youtu.be/h3WTxZOJkDA
And yes, I know it wasn't a full flip; the full video explains it in more detail! Check it out here: youtu.be/h3WTxZOJkDA
This is a video I've been wanting to make for years, and it's finally up! New YouTube video all about the 20th century Party Flip!
youtu.be/h3WTxZOJkDA
youtu.be/h3WTxZOJkDA
October 27, 2024 at 3:02 PM
This is a video I've been wanting to make for years, and it's finally up! New YouTube video all about the 20th century Party Flip!
youtu.be/h3WTxZOJkDA
youtu.be/h3WTxZOJkDA
Spent some time at the Hoover Presidential Library last week researching [it's still a secret]. Had to get some time in with the museum -- Hoover's boyhood home, his likeness fly fishing, and the blacksmith shop where his dad worked! Honestly a very cool spot to visit!
August 10, 2023 at 10:29 PM
Spent some time at the Hoover Presidential Library last week researching [it's still a secret]. Had to get some time in with the museum -- Hoover's boyhood home, his likeness fly fishing, and the blacksmith shop where his dad worked! Honestly a very cool spot to visit!
Hi. Pete and I are here to see what's up.
August 10, 2023 at 2:38 PM
Hi. Pete and I are here to see what's up.