Odyssey of Apollo 13 Became NASA's 'Successful Failure'

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Apollo 13 lifted off on 11 April 1970 to begin the third crewed mission to land on the Moon, but quickly became an odyssey of survival in deep space.

The flight of Apollo 13 has been called “a successful failure”. It was successful in how the crew worked with mission control to return home, but a failure in that the lunar landing was aborted.

A veteran of three previous spaceflights, James (Jim) Lovell commanded the flight. Command Module pilot John (Jack) Swigert and Lunar Module Pilot Fred W. Haise, both rookie astronauts, rounded out the crew.

The crew of Apollo 13, LOvell, Swigert, and Haise, pose two days prior to launch day. (NASA)

On the ground, mission control’s wealth of engineers, astronauts, and spacecraft designers worked long hours to get the crew home. They designed a new flight plan to save on electricity to power the spacecraft home.

For many not alive in 1970, the odyssey of Apollo 13 has today become a flight of inspiration. The 1995 movie Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard and co-written by Lovell, has kept this modern day Homer-epic fresh for new generations.

“Apollo 13 has been one of my all time favorite movies as it shows the courage and determination of Lovell, Haise, and Swigert to overcome the odds and return home,” said Bob Hennelly, who has viewed the movie over 200 times since his college days. “Jim Lovell is a hero of mine — he is the epitome of courage.”