Latest / The Thought Atlas Podcast
How Former Enemies Built the International Space Station | Jim Van Laak
During the Cold War, Jim Van Laak stood nuclear alert as a fighter pilot on America’s northern frontier, trained to think of Russia as the enemy.
Decades later, he would become one of the architects of one of the most unlikely collaborations in human history:
The International Space Station.
After the Challenger disaster, Jim entered NASA and eventually found himself helping Americans and Russians work together—not just politically, but operationally and personally—despite decades of distrust and resistance on both sides.
His new book, To See Far: Conflict and Cooperation on the Space…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.