63rd anniversary of the epic rescue of Apollo 13
On April 11, 1970, Apollo 13 lifted off from the John F. Kennedy Space Center with the goal of being the third manned mission to land on the Moon. On board were commander Jim Lovell, command module pilot Jack Swigert and lunar module pilot Fred Haise. All seemed to be going well until, two days after launch, an explosion in a service module oxygen tank endangered the lives of the astronauts and thwarted their lunar landing plans.
An accident in space
The explosion severely damaged the service module, which provided oxygen, electricity and propulsion to the command module. Without these resources, the astronauts had to shut down the command module systems and take refuge in the lunar module, which became a makeshift lifeboat. The problem was that the lunar module was designed to hold two people for two days, not three for four. In addition, the lunar module did not have enough power to return directly to Earth, so they had to go around the Moon and use its gravity to propel themselves home.
Critical situation
The situation was critical and required collaboration between the astronauts and the mission control center in Houston, who worked tirelessly to find solutions to the many challenges ahead. Among them were adjusting the return trajectory, saving energy and water, removing excess carbon dioxide and reactivating the command module prior to reentry. All with a cold, wet, dark cabin and uncertainty as to whether they could survive.
Rescued safe and sound
Finally, after four days of anguish and tension, Apollo 13 reentered the Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 17, 1970. The three astronauts were rescued safe and sound by the aircraft carrier USS Iwo Jima. The mission was qualified as a «successful failure», because although the main objective was not achieved, the lives of the crew were saved thanks to ingenuity and teamwork.
One of the most dramatic and heroic moments of the year
The rescue of Apollo 13 was one of the most dramatic and heroic moments in the history of space exploration. The film Apollo 13 (1995), directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton, faithfully recreates the events that took place and pays tribute to the protagonists of this incredible adventure.
