Episode 1

Available for 18 days

Funny, off-beat but factually accurate account of the science of rockets and the brilliant but occasionally warped brains behind-it-all. So who were the three fathers of modern rocket science? * 19th Century self-taught Russian visionary Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky and his dreams of orbiting space stations and Martian colonies; * American Robert H Goddard, derided in The New York Times in the 1920s for his prediction of a lunar landing (A retraction was printed after the Apollo 11 launch); * Transylvanian-German Hermann Oberth with his brilliant theories about space travel and his horrifying theories about racial supremacy. Plus Helen reveals the surprising connection between space travel and a coach tour of the Jewels of the Rhineland. Starring: Helen Keen Peter Serafinowicz Susy Kane Written by Helen Keen and Miriam Underhill. Producer: Gareth Edwards First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.