Normally a spacewalk sends out two people. One time in NASA history, it sent out three, because a massive satellite wasn't cooperating and somebody suggested becoming a human tripod instead. Robert Pearlman still has the footage in his head, and he's not the only one who does.

He was also one of the last journalists to get that close to a space shuttle before it flew for good. Not press-line close. Launch-pad close, training-room close, the kind of access NASA only hands out once everyone already knows it's ending. What he watched that day wasn't just a rocket leaving the ground.

Down the road from a real 184-foot shuttle on display sits a brand new museum full of Star Wars props. Pearlman has stood in front of both, and only one of them stopped him cold the second he turned the corner. Guess which.

Topics: space shuttle, Atlantis final flight, NASA history, Endeavour exhibit, spacewalk

Originally aired on 2026-07-16

Normally a spacewalk sends out two people. One time in NASA history, it sent out three, because a massive satellite wasn't cooperating and somebody suggested becoming a human tripod instead. Robert Pearlman still has the footage in his head, and he's not the only one who does.
He was also one of the last journalists to get that close to a space shuttle before it flew for good. Not press-line close. Launch-pad close, training-room close, the kind of access NASA only hands out once everyone already knows it's ending. What he watched that day wasn't just a rocket leaving the ground.
Down the road from a real 184-foot shuttle on display sits a brand new museum full of Star Wars props. Pearlman has stood in front of both, and only one of them stopped him cold the second he turned the corner. Guess which.
Topics: space shuttle, Atlantis final flight, NASA history, Endeavour exhibit, spacewalk
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-07-16

Shane Hewitt & The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world—always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.

From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane’s signature style—thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.

If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt &amp; The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world&mdash;always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.
From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane&rsquo;s signature style&mdash;thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.
If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

ICYMI - A Human Tripod Once Caught a Falling Satellite

Ash falling from the sky. Homes smelling like campfires from the inside. A town called Collins evacuated by boat as flames closed in. This is what forest fire season actually looked like on the ground this year, told through the voices of the people who lived through it.

The reporting pulls together on-the-ground accounts from across Ontario, including firsthand descriptions from Thunder Bay of skies turning burnt orange by mid-afternoon and temperatures swinging by ten degrees once the smoke rolled in at night. It also tracks the federal response as Ontario requested outside help fighting fires that outpaced the crews available to handle them.

Then the numbers get stranger. This year's national fire count sits at a fraction of where it stood in 2011, and even further below decades before that. What that gap actually means, and why the smoke has felt this much worse anyway, gets laid out plainly.

Topics: forest fires Canada, wildfire smoke, Thunder Bay, Ontario wildfires, wildfire statistics

Originally aired on 2026-07-16

Ash falling from the sky. Homes smelling like campfires from the inside. A town called Collins evacuated by boat as flames closed in. This is what forest fire season actually looked like on the ground this year, told through the voices of the people who lived through it.
The reporting pulls together on-the-ground accounts from across Ontario, including firsthand descriptions from Thunder Bay of skies turning burnt orange by mid-afternoon and temperatures swinging by ten degrees once the smoke rolled in at night. It also tracks the federal response as Ontario requested outside help fighting fires that outpaced the crews available to handle them.
Then the numbers get stranger. This year's national fire count sits at a fraction of where it stood in 2011, and even further below decades before that. What that gap actually means, and why the smoke has felt this much worse anyway, gets laid out plainly.
Topics: forest fires Canada, wildfire smoke, Thunder Bay, Ontario wildfires, wildfire statistics
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-07-16

SHIFTHEADS: The Skies Over Thunder Bay Turned Burnt Orange

NASA closed out thirty years of space shuttle missions the same year Vancouver's streets filled with flipped cars after a Stanley Cup Game 7 loss. 2011 packed in more than it gets credit for, and laying it side by side makes that obvious fast.

Stephen Harper won a federal majority that spring. Jack Layton led the NDP into official opposition for the first time in the party's history months later. Meanwhile people were still sharing music through file-sharing sites that don't exist anymore, and an iPhone in Canada was still something not everyone had.

One listener's message cuts through the nostalgia entirely: a stepson starting 25 months of chemo that year, treatment so severe it required two hip replacements afterward. He's cancer-free today, building a career as a sous chef, a reminder that behind every throwback year are real people who lived through it.

Topics: 2011, space shuttle, Canadian politics, Vancouver riots, technology in 2011

Originally aired on 2026-07-16

NASA closed out thirty years of space shuttle missions the same year Vancouver's streets filled with flipped cars after a Stanley Cup Game 7 loss. 2011 packed in more than it gets credit for, and laying it side by side makes that obvious fast.
Stephen Harper won a federal majority that spring. Jack Layton led the NDP into official opposition for the first time in the party's history months later. Meanwhile people were still sharing music through file-sharing sites that don't exist anymore, and an iPhone in Canada was still something not everyone had.
One listener's message cuts through the nostalgia entirely: a stepson starting 25 months of chemo that year, treatment so severe it required two hip replacements afterward. He's cancer-free today, building a career as a sous chef, a reminder that behind every throwback year are real people who lived through it.
Topics: 2011, space shuttle, Canadian politics, Vancouver riots, technology in 2011
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-07-16

NEW - The Last Space Shuttle Flew the Same Year Vancouver Burned

Four years of saving points. One redemption. And the taxes and fees still took a $900 bite out of a flight that was supposed to be free. That's the moment most people quietly give up on the whole idea.

Patrick Sojka never did. He's built a specific combination of cards and programs that gets a flight to zero dollars, taxes and fees included, and it has nothing to do with hoarding points for years. It comes down to which two tools you pair, and most flyers only ever use one.

There's also a fare-class habit almost nobody checks before booking, and it's costing people money in the exact opposite direction they'd expect. Sojka walks through both, live, with real numbers from real flights.

Topics: flying for free, travel rewards, credit card points, Aeroplan, WestJet points

Originally aired on 2026-07-16

Four years of saving points. One redemption. And the taxes and fees still took a $900 bite out of a flight that was supposed to be free. That's the moment most people quietly give up on the whole idea.
Patrick Sojka never did. He's built a specific combination of cards and programs that gets a flight to zero dollars, taxes and fees included, and it has nothing to do with hoarding points for years. It comes down to which two tools you pair, and most flyers only ever use one.
There's also a fare-class habit almost nobody checks before booking, and it's costing people money in the exact opposite direction they'd expect. Sojka walks through both, live, with real numbers from real flights.
Topics: flying for free, travel rewards, credit card points, Aeroplan, WestJet points
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-07-16

ICYMI - A Human Tripod Once Caught a Falling Satellite

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