Apollo 13: Facts About NASA's Near-Disaster
By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor | October 9, 2017 09:38pm ET
Apollo 13 was supposed to be NASA's third moon-landing mission. Instead, in an instant, the spacecraft pivoted from a moon-bound landing unit to a crippled vessel. The spaceflight stands today as a demonstration of NASA innovation saving lives on the fly, and vividly illustrates the dangers of working in space as well.
The Apollo 13 astronauts
First-time flyer Jack Swigert, 38, had been an astronaut since 1966, and had previously been part of the support crew for Apollo 7. He was initially Apollo 13's backup command module pilot but joined the crew just 48 hours before the launch after prime crew member Ken Mattingly was unwittingly exposed to the German measles. Since Mattingly had no immunity, NASA doctors yanked him from the mission over commander Jim Lovell's protests.
Lovell, 42, was the world's most traveled astronaut. He had three missions and 572 spaceflight hours of experience. Lovell participated in Apollo 8, the first mission to circle the moon, and flew two Gemini missions — including a 14-day endurance run.
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