APOLLO 13: THE SUCCESSFUL FAILURE

Two hundred thousand miles from Earth, an oxygen tank exploded — and a Moon landing became a rescue. Apollo 13 never reached the lunar surface, yet it may be NASA's finest hour.

THE EXPLOSION

On April 13, 1970, fifty-six hours into the flight, a routine stir of an oxygen tank triggered an explosion that crippled the Service Module.

Jim Lovell's report to Houston was almost understated: the spacecraft was losing oxygen, power, and its ability to get home.

THE LIFEBOAT

The crew shut down the Command Module to save its batteries for reentry and moved into the Lunar Module — a spacecraft designed to keep two men alive for two days, now asked to keep three men alive for four.

Mission Control rewrote the flight in real time, looping the crew around the Moon on a free-return trajectory.

THE SQUARE PEG PROBLEM

Carbon dioxide began building up faster than the Lunar Module could scrub it, and the Command Module's spare filters were square while the LM's sockets were round.

Engineers on the ground built an adapter out of plastic bags, cardboard, a hose, and tape — then read the crew instructions to build their own. It worked.

SPLASHDOWN AND LEGACY

On April 17, 1970, the crew splashed down safely in the Pacific.

Apollo 13 became the defining case study in engineering under pressure — proof that the mission behind the mission is always the people.

APOLLO 13 IS A REMINDER THAT PREPARATION BEATS PANIC — AND THAT NO CREW EVER FLIES ALONE.