Rocket Man
In the twentieth century, the jetpack became synonymous with the idea of a \u2018futuristic society.\u2019 Appearing in cartoons and magazines, it felt like a matter of time before people could ride a jetpack to work. But jetpacks never became a mainstream technology, leaving many to wonder\u2026why? In this episode of 99 Percent Invisible, producer Chris Berube travels to the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian\u2019s National Air and Space Museum to find out for himself.
This episode was produced by Chris Berube. He spoke with Bill Suitor, Don Erwin, and the Smithsonian\u2019s Colleen Anderson. David Taylor reported on the rocket belt for The Washington Post in 2022, and Steve Lehto wrote about the belt, and other jetpack technology, in his book The Great American Jetpack.
Transcript available here: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/rocket-man/transcript/