Apollo 13 - Half a Century Later

//The Apollo 13 Crisis//

Humans, space and everything beyond our skyline has always been a frontier that science has desired to understand and explore. Apollo 13 was a space program that launched exactly 50 years ago and is remembered by many as a significant milestone in spacecraft technology. A short summary about Apollo 13, NASA’s third venture to the moon:

• Launched on April 11 from Kennedy Space Center – Launch Complex 39.

• Explosion of oxygen tank post launch caused ultimate failure of the space journey to the moon.

• 3 Astronaut Crew – John Swigert, James Lovell and Fred Haise

• Crew survived through refuge in space module

• Origin of the timeless phrase – “Houston, we’ve had a problem” by John Swigert (later adapted)

• Quick acting by the crew to make use of backup module, Aquarius, to crisis manage an emergency return back to earth

• Strict rationing and actions taken to ensure backup module would sustain the crew for the trip back

• Landed intact in the Pacific Ocean 6 days after launch

//Crisis Management//

It’s an incredible moment in history that will always be remembered for its failure and success. Failure in that the mission did not successfully reach its destination of the moon due to the catastrophic explosion. Yet, a success in salvaging the lives of the brave and grounded astronauts that used backup systems to safely reach their home planet. Further success in failure can be drawn by the fact that the event served as a learning experience for the space industry all over. More had to be done to prevent the issue from happening again. Beyond this, thinking about safety and crisis management had to be at the front of design for future space ventures.

//Inspired and Remembered//

Astronauts go through vigorous training for around two years, demonstrating their capability to perform under space conditions. Following instructions, communicating and being able to take sound decisions at crucial moments are just some of the admirable traits that I see in the space explorers. Some of these spacemen would later go out on future space adventures and it made me think about how much these individuals loved their work, being in space and most apparent, how much they trusted their team with their lives. I grew up learning about the various Apollo ventures and watching Tom Hanks star in the Apollo 13 movie was a nerve wracking experience for me at the time. Science strives to improve and it’s events like these that need to be remembered and built from. Our tenacity and struggle to improve have only yielded success and it will continue to do so, even when we get things a little wrong.

Sources
https://www.space.com/17250-apollo-13-facts.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Space_Center_Launch_Complex_39

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