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Lot Essay
'HOUSTON, WE'VE HAD A PROBLEM'. The mission commentary is a minute-by-minute account of the ill-fated progress of Apollo 13, beginning even before lift off with the exposure of the crew to German measles, and continuing through the launch at 2.13 pm on 11 April ('we have commit and we have liftoff'), the development of the famous 'problem' at 9pm on 13 April ('Okay Houston. Hey, we've got a problem here ... Houston, we've had a problem'), the mid-course injection burn at 2.43 am on the 14th, the decision later that morning to use the Lunar Module as a 'lifeboat', the loss of signal from the capsule as it passed behind the moon, the course correction burn at 8.36 pm on the same day and the improvisation of lithium hydroxide equipment for the carbon dioxide scrubbers at 7.18 am on the 15th. The transcripts end shortly before the re-entry burn, at 6.10 pm on the 15th (General Elapsed Time 100:57:00).
Apollo 13 was intended to be the third manned lunar-landing mission, but an explosion two days into the mission, caused by a fault in the oxygen tank, critically damaged the service module, leading to a loss of oxygen and power. The eventual safe return of the mission to Earth was a triumph of ingenuity under pressure, including the use of the Moon's gravity to slingshot the spacecraft back to earth. The numbering of the expedition, as well as the time of the take-off and date of the 'problem', have provided a field day for triskaidekaphobics
Apollo 13 was intended to be the third manned lunar-landing mission, but an explosion two days into the mission, caused by a fault in the oxygen tank, critically damaged the service module, leading to a loss of oxygen and power. The eventual safe return of the mission to Earth was a triumph of ingenuity under pressure, including the use of the Moon's gravity to slingshot the spacecraft back to earth. The numbering of the expedition, as well as the time of the take-off and date of the 'problem', have provided a field day for triskaidekaphobics