One of the most dramatic events in space exploration history happened 47 years ago this week. On April 11, 1970, the Apollo 13 space mission was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida; the goal was to be the third mission to land on the moon. Two days after the launch, an oxygen tank exploded, causing loss of power, heat, and water in the spacecraft. The carbon dioxide removal system also was damaged. Amazingly, the crew (with help from many people on Earth) was able to make the repairs necessary to return a few days later on April 17.
The library has this material on the subject:
- The movie Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks and Bill Paxton.
- Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond by Gene Krantz, NASA flight director.
- How Apollo Flew to the Moon by W. David Woods.