All Podcasts / No Such Thing As A Fish / No Such Thing As An Emotional Support Wig
No Such Thing As A Fish
No Such Thing As A Fish

No Such Thing As An Emotional Support Wig

August 27, 2026 • 56m

Summary

⏱️ 10 min read

Overview

A live recording of the 'No Such Thing as a Fish' podcast from the Royal Institution in London, where hosts Dan Schreiber, Anna Tyshinsky, Andrew Hunter-Murray, and James Harkin share fascinating facts covering space exploration blankets, the etymology of 'boffin,' female scientists at the Royal Institution, Ethiopian queens, Andy Serkis's award-winning acceptance speech, and the evolution of CGI in film.

Mercury's Hand-Stitched Space Blanket

The BepiColombo spacecraft heading to Mercury is equipped with a hand-stitched thermal blanket to protect it from extreme temperatures ranging from 400°C to -190°C. The fabric is similar to what covers London's O2 Arena and has conducting metal threads woven through to prevent static buildup. Blood was actually shed during the stitching process when someone pricked their finger, meaning human DNA may now be traveling to Mercury.

  • Mercury experiences extreme temperature swings from 400°C at its hottest to -190°C at its coldest
  • The spacecraft's thermal blanket is hand-stitched while draped over the vessel, similar to a dress fitting
  • The blanket material is the same heat-resistant beater cloth used to cover London's O2 Arena (Millennium Dome)
  • Someone pricked their finger while stitching, meaning human blood may be in the blanket heading to space
" They drape the blanket over the vessel and then they stitch it while it's on, like if you're getting a dress fitting or people in films when they get dress fitting, they wear the material and then they get it stitched on while they're standing there. "

The Journey to Mercury: Harder Than Getting to Pluto

Getting to Mercury requires an incredibly complex seven-year journey involving gravitational slingshots around Venus, Earth, and Mercury itself. The BepiColombo mission launched in 2018 won't arrive until September 2025 because slowing down enough to orbit Mercury is harder than reaching Pluto. The mission uses solar-powered xenon plasma thrusters and had to navigate around planets multiple times to manage its speed.

  • It's easier to get to Pluto than Mercury because Mercury moves so fast around the sun
  • The spacecraft first slingshot around Earth two years after launch in 2018, despite heading to an inner planet
  • Giuseppe 'Bepi' Colombo discovered that reaching Mercury requires going away from it first and using planetary gravity assists
  • Scientists say Mercury shouldn't exist based on its gravity and density - it should have been pulled into the sun
" It's easier to get to Pluto than it is to get to Mercury, because it's moving so fast around the sun that you just need to get the timing exactly right. "

📚 8 more sections below

Sign up to unlock the complete summary with all insights, key points, and quotes

Listen on Apple Podcasts More Episodes from No Such Thing As A Fish