“Houston… We’ve Had a Problem” – The Failure of Apollo 13, 55 Years Ago Today
Fifty Five years ago today, on April 13, 1970, while en route to the Moon, an oxygen tank in the Service Module of Apollo 13 exploded. The lunar landing and moonwalk, which would have been executed by astronauts Jim Lovell and Fred Haise, were immediately aborted. NASA now had a much bigger challenge on their hands – How to get the three Apollo astronauts home alive. As clean oxygen and vital electrical power started to run out in the Command Module (CM), a dedicated team of flight controllers and engineers at Mission Control in Houston focused all of their efforts on developing a plan to shelter the crew in the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) and use it as a “lifeboat,” while conserving sufficient resources, like air and water, to bring the spacecraft and its crew back home safely. By the grace of God, splashdown occurred in the Pacific Ocean on April 17, after a harrowing flight that lasted nearly six days.
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I had the opportunity this weekend to attend the Tulsa Air & Space Museum 55th Apollo 13 Anniversary "Houston, We Have a Part event. With a mixer and panel discussion related to the Mission. Fred Haise -Astronaut/LM Pilot, Gerry Griffin -Apollo 13 Flight Director, John Aaron -Apollo 13 EECOM (Electrical, Environmental, and Communications), Bill Peters -Apollo 13 TELMU (Telemetry, Electrical, and EVA Mobility Unit), Jim Kelly -Apollo 13 Electrical Power Systems Specialist, Tom Hanchett -Apollo 13 INCO (Integrated Communications Officer), Bill Weepier GMC Propulsion, and Dee O'Hara -NASA's 1st Astrospace Nurse were present for the event. Jim Lovell joined via Zoom call. All gave recounts of the event and shared their role in the Mission. All are obviously getting on in years but were remarkable. Hearing it directly from them was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The humility, respect, and camaraderie shared by all was clearly evident as one would imagine of those that shared their experience. Photo's were allowed and autographs were signed by all. It was a great way to spend a Saturday in April. Kudo's as well for Tulsa Air & Space Museum for putting the event on and executing flawlessly. Great Job!
What these folks were able to accomplish under such pressure was truly miraculous.