Apollo 13

Apollo 13
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Name	Apollo 13
Mission type	Crewed lunar landing (aborted)
Operator	NASA
Mission duration	5 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes, 41 seconds
Spacecraft	CSM Odyssey, LM Aquarius
Manufacturer	CSM: North American Rockwell, LM: Grumman
Launch mass	109,500 pounds (49,700 kg)
Launch date	11 April 1970
Launch rocket	Saturn V SA-508
Launch site	Kennedy Space Center LC-39A
Landing date	17 April 1970
Landing site	South Pacific Ocean, 21, km, mi from USS ''Iwo Jima''
Crew members	Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, Fred Haise
Crew photo caption	Left to right: Lovell, Swigert, Haise
Programme	Apollo program
Previous mission	Apollo 12
Next mission	Apollo 14

Apollo 13 was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo program and the third intended to land on the Moon. Launched on April 11, 1970, from the Kennedy Space Center, the mission was commanded by veteran astronaut Jim Lovell. The flight was aborted after an oxygen tank explosion crippled the Command/Service Module Odyssey, forcing the crew to use the Lunar Module Aquarius as a lifeboat and dramatically altering their trajectory back to Earth.

Mission overview

The primary objectives of the mission were to achieve a precision landing in the Fra Mauro formation, a region of scientific interest on the lunar surface. The flight plan included extensive geological fieldwork and the deployment of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, a suite of scientific instruments. The mission was also intended to further demonstrate the capabilities of the Saturn V launch vehicle and the Apollo spacecraft in a highland area. Following a standard translunar injection, the spacecraft entered a hybrid trajectory that would facilitate the planned descent to the lunar surface.

Crew

The mission was commanded by Jim Lovell, a U.S. Navy captain and veteran of Gemini 7, Gemini 12, and Apollo 8. The Command Module Pilot was initially Ken Mattingly, but he was replaced by Jack Swigert from the support crew just days before launch due to exposure to rubella. The Lunar Module Pilot was Fred Haise, a former U.S. Marine and NASA test pilot. The backup crew consisted of John Young, John Swigert, and Charles Duke, while the support crew included Vance Brand and Joseph P. Kerwin. The flight directors for the mission were Gene Kranz of the White Team, Glynn Lunney of the Black Team, and Milton Windler of the Maroon Team.

Technical problems and crisis

Fifty-five hours and fifty-five minutes into the mission, following a routine stir of the cryogenic oxygen tanks, an explosion occurred in Service Module Bay 4. The incident severely damaged Oxygen Tank 2 and compromised Oxygen Tank 1, leading to a critical loss of electrical power and potable water in the Command Module. The crew reported the now-famous phrase, "Houston, we have a problem," to mission control at the Johnson Space Center. Engineers and flight controllers, led by figures like Sy Liebergot, quickly determined the Command/Service Module was dying, forcing an immediate abort of the lunar landing.

Abort and return journey

With the Command Module powerless, the crew powered up the Lunar Module Aquarius to use it as a lifeboat. A critical engine burn using the Lunar Module's Descent Propulsion System was performed to place the spacecraft on a free-return trajectory around the Moon. The crew endured severe hardships, including frigid temperatures, water rationing, and rising carbon dioxide levels, which were remedied by constructing an improvised adapter for the Command Module's square lithium hydroxide canisters using materials like duct tape and flight manual pages. A final manual alignment and burn using the Lunar Module's engine were required for a precise re-entry corridor.

Aftermath and legacy

The crew splashed down safely in the South Pacific Ocean on April 17, where they were recovered by the USS ''Iwo Jima''. A thorough investigation by the Apollo 13 Review Board, chaired by Edgar Cortright, traced the cause to damaged Teflon insulation on wires inside Oxygen Tank 2, which ignited when the tank fans were activated. The incident led to major redesigns of the Service Module, including the removal of auxiliary oxygen tanks and the addition of a third cryogenic tank. The successful failure of the mission is celebrated as a triumph of ingenuity and teamwork at NASA and was later dramatized in the 1995 film Apollo 13 directed by Ron Howard. The flight demonstrated extraordinary crisis management under the leadership of individuals like Gene Kranz and cemented the mission's phrase in popular culture. Category:Apollo program Category:Human spaceflight missions Category:1970 in spaceflight