LA Made: The Other Moonshot tells the story of three unsung heroes in the space race

“LA Made,” LAist Studio’s series chronicling the global impact of bold Californian innovators, is set to return for a new season on January 29. Produced in partnership with Reasonable Volume, LA Made: The Other Moonshot tells the story of three Black aerospace engineers who worked on the Apollo mission in L.A. in the 1960s – despite barely being allowed in the room.

Host Joanne Higgins grew up hearing about the invaluable contributions of these Black aerospace engineers, in part because her godfather Charlie Cheathem was among the group who worked on the Apollo mission. Fearing that their legacy could be forgotten, Higgins began a journey to record and capture their experiences.

“I’m so thrilled that this podcast was able to happen,” said Higgins. “It’s been an ambition of mine for many years to get their story out there. And now it is. It’s my gift to Charlie.”

The four-part series will premiere on Wednesday, January 29 and be released weekly. Listeners can subscribe now and listen to the trailer on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all podcast platforms. Episodes will also air on LAist 89.3 Monday, February 17 through Thursday, February 20 at 9 pm ET.

Remarked Shana Naomi Krochmal, VP of Podcasting, LAist Studios: “While developing the first season of our ‘LA Made’ podcast, ‘Blood, Sweat & Rockets,’ we separately learned about the previously untold experiences of the subjects of ‘The Other Moonshot. ’ We also fell in love with Joanne Higgins’ voice and tenacity in bringing this story to an audience. The twin challenges at the center of ‘The Other Moonshot’ – to achieve an audacious and unprecedented scientific accomplishment while also pushing workplaces to take a great leap forward – are as relevant and complex to consider now as they were then.”

Higgins tells this story through first-hand accounts from her godfather, as well as his colleagues Nathaniel LeVert and Shelby Jacobs. Jacobs has since died; LeVert and Cheathem are in their 90s and speaking to the media for the first time about their crucial contributions to the early days of the race to the moon that have been overlooked or taken credit for by others.

Hired by North American Aviation for their skills and talent, Cheathem, LeVert and Jacobs were thrust into the uncertain and chaotic early Apollo missions, part of a team expected to solve the hardest engineering problems in human history. And as Black men, they faced an additional gauntlet of racism: They had their work stolen. They were insulted and excluded regularly. And they had little support from their higher-ups. Each had to learn how to deal with the daily discrimination in his own way. Yet they stayed the course and were ultimately triumphant, driven by their love of engineering and passion for space travel.

Higgins previously worked in film and TV for 13 years before entering the construction industry. A lifelong Angeleno, Higgins grew up in Compton and attended Cal State Long Beach.