Apollo 13 launch

On this day in 1970, Apollo 13 lifted off from Cape Kennedy, Florida. A Saturn V rocket sent astronauts James Lovell, Fred Haise, and John Swigert toward the Moon. The mission continued on smoothly until April 13, when Lovell famously uttered: “Houston, we’ve had a problem. We’ve had a main B bus undervolt.” An oxygen tank had exploded, crippling the spacecraft. The astronauts moved into the lunar module Aquarius, and NASA began plotting a strategy to swing around the Moon and reach Earth safely. The Apollo 13 crew reduced electricity and drinking water consumption and jerry-rigged an adapter to remove carbon dioxide from the air. On April 17, having moved back into the command module Odyssey for re-entry, the three astronauts splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, capping off a remarkable journey. The Apollo 13 Review Board later pinned the accident on “an electrically initiated fire in oxygen tank No. 2,” which had numerous flaws that should have been spotted during testing.

Date in History: 11 April 1970