Last month marked the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission, which was dubbed as a “successful failure”. Due to a ruptured oxygen tank on the Service Module, the 3 astronauts nearly didn’t make it back.
No doubt many of you have seen the Tom Hank’s movie “Apollo 13”. While not entirely accurate, it was reasonably close in most regards. (Some artistic license was taken for dramatic effect)
Universe Today has finished their work on a series of web-based articles titled “13 Things That Saved Apollo 13”. It’s a 13 part (plus introduction) covering various things about what it took to bring these brave men back home. Some things match what was in the movies, and corrects some errors. Plus it has information that you may find new and interesting.
It features lots of fascinating photos and video clips of the events as they unfolded, and from interviews taken on the 40th anniversary celebrations held in Houston last month and elsewhere.
I had thought about preparing a presentation for the club some time, similar to what Randy Attwood did for Apollo 11. But when I saw this, I realized it would be hard to do much better than they did. Well researched and informative. Granted it is primarily through the eyes of a few individuals, but they were at the heart of the events and I don’t think they missed much in the areas they covered.
I think everyone will find at least one or two things to take away from this great series. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
