On this day in 1970

An oxygen tank ruptured aboard the Service Module of the Apollo 13 spacecraft, the third mission intended to land on the moon.

The accident occurred almost exactly 200,000 miles from the earth, and resulted in an almost complete loss of electrical power in the module.

This event produced one of the most misquoted lines of all time, what Jack Swigert actually said in reporting the event was “Houston we’ve had a problem”.

During the next four days the only objective of the mission was “get home safe” and became an exercise in creative use of a very limited set of resources. Just about everything possible was used in some way to ensure the survival of the three crew members.

A recent interview with Jim Lovell the mission commander (now 82 years old) revealed a man as calm and laconic as he was in 1970 when faced with what appeared to be an unpleasant lingering death. Asked if he ever thought they would not make it safely back to earth he replied “No, but we were not waiting around for a miracle to occur, if we had been, we would still be up there”

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Author: Low Wattage

Expat Welshman, educated (somewhat) in UK, left before it became fashionable to do so. Now a U.S. Citizen, and recent widower, playing with retirement and house remodeling, living in Delaware and rural Maryland (weekends).

8 thoughts on “On this day in 1970”

  1. Brilliant LW

    Of course we didn’t have TV in those days (no, not just our family, there was no TV!)

    Hard to believe that it’s 40 years ago. I’ve seen a load of documentaries about it and of course the movie.

    He is one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon, the first of only three men to fly to the Moon twice, and the only one to do so without making a landing. Lovell was also the first American to fly in space four times.

    Lovell’s Wiki entry

  3. The movie Apollo 13, with Tom Hanks, was one of the most fascinating descriptions of the events that occurred on that mission. I do remember it from my childhood years and how we all followed it with enormous interest.
    But to think that they managed to get back to earth in one piece was short of a miracle.

  4. 40 years ago. Crikey. Very interesting: they had so little technology in those days, if you compare with now. I seem to remember reading somewhere that there is more computer power in amoblie phone now that there would have been in Apollo 13.

    BTW and just for interest, ‘Laconic’ is one of those words I always have to look up, as I have it in my head as almost the opposite of what is really means. I found this:

    From Latin Lacōnicus (“‘Spartan’”) < Ancient Greek Λακωνικός (Lakōnikos), “‘Laconian’”). Laconia was the region surrounding and ruled by the Spartans, who were known for their brevity in speech. Using as few words as possible; pithy and concise."

  5. Thanks for your comments, it still takes a very special person to fly on these things, as John Glenn once said “Sitting on top of two million parts, all built by the lowest bidder”.

  7. Interesting piece, LW – and a great quote there from John Glenn “all built by the lowest bidder.” Yikes.

  8. Low Wattage :

    it still takes a very special person to fly on these things.

    Too right – I wouldn’t even get past being confined in a space that small…

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