Echoes Among the Stars: The Original Website
The First Era in Space, 1957-1975
Apollo 13
April 11 - April 17, 1970
Surveying the Damage
The Apollo 13 service module, as photographed by the astronauts near the end of their six day ordeal. Damage done by an exploding oxygen tank is visible at the top of the spacecraft. The crew of Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert used the craft’s lunar module as a ‘lifeboat’ to sustain them for the long trip around the moon and back to earth. NASA photo.
Apollo 13 Returns Home
After six tense days of dealing with a constant succession of life-threatening crises, a reassuring sight flashes on the screen at Mission Control. NASA engineers and administrators performed heroically throughout the Apollo 13 mission, reacting quickly to the explosion that crippled the spacecraft and constantly improvising ways to save the astronauts’ lives. NASA photo.
A Survivor’s Welcome
Safely returned to earth, Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell is congratulated by President Richard Nixon. NASA photo.
