JIM LOV The famous astronaut recounts Apollo 13 — the mission that almost didn’t make it home. BY RICHARD TALCOTT TO THE AVERAGE AMERICAN living in 1970, the space program had become rather humdrum. The previ- ous year had witnessed Apollo 11’s historic first Moon landing and Apollo 12’s precision touchdown within walking distance of the unmanned Surveyor 3 spacecraft. But by early 1970, NASA’s run of success had turned much of the nation complacent. Many wondered whether fixing problems on Earth demanded more attention than exploring the Moon. It was in this climate that Apollo 13 set off on April 11 for the third lunar landing. The mission was to be the first devoted largely to sci- ence, and targeted an area near Fra Mauro Crater that scientists thought had been splattered by debris from the impact that formed Mare Imbrium. Jim Lovell served as Apollo 13’s commander. This was his fourth trip into space. He had previously teamed with Frank Borman on Gemini VII The Saturn V rocket that sent Apollo 13 on its in December 1965, when they way to the Moon ignites achieved the first rendezvous with its engines on the afternoon of April 11, another manned spacecraft; with 1970. ALL PHOTOS BY NASA UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED Buzz Aldrin on Gemini XII in November 1966, that program’s final mission; and with Borman and 18 ASTRONOMY • APRIL 2020 ELL REMEMBERS Triumph over tragedy Bill Anders on the historic Apollo 8 mission in December 1968 that first sent astronauts to the Moon. On Apollo 13, he was joined by a pair of rookies: Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise. Swigert was a last-minute replacement for Ken Mattingly, who had been exposed to German measles a week before launch and was the only crew mem- ber who did not have immunity. The first two days of the mission went largely according to plan, if little noticed by the broader public. None of the three major U.S. TV networks carried the crew’s prime- time television broadcast the eve- ning of April 13. But the world certainly took notice later that night The crew of Apollo 13 — Astronomy: Thank you, Lovell: Well, actually, this Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, when an oxygen tank in the service Captain Lovell, for joining us is the first time that we were and Fred Haise (left to right) — posed for their module exploded and put the today and reminiscing about really going for exploration official portrait 11 days mission — and the lives of the Apollo 13, whose 50th anni- or discovery. The first [two], after they returned to Earth. An explosion astronauts — in jeopardy. The har- versary is coming up quickly. Apollo 11 and Apollo 12, were on their way to the We have several questions merely machines to say, “Hey, Moon prevented the rowing return journey transfixed about the mission and your we can do the job. Here it is.” astronauts from landing on the lunar surface. the nation and the world. reactions to everything that … But by the time 13 came Recently, I had the honor to inter- transpired during Apollo 13. around, [NASA] didn’t worry view Captain Lovell about Apollo 13 My first question is, Apollo 13 so much about the transition at the Lake Forest, Illinois, public was going to be the third Moon and the mechanics of get- landing. Could you talk a little ting to the Moon. What the library. As you might expect, the bit about the objectives of your scientists were now looking events of the mission remain etched mission and how it differed at was the Moon itself. We in his mind even after 50 years. from Apollo 11? were going to a place called WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 19 countdown demonstration test, which was two weeks before the flight, we had the spacecraft load- ed with fuel and things of this nature. The test was completed — everything worked fine for launching the vehicle. We left and the ground crew went in to secure the spacecraft. One of their jobs was to remove the liquid oxygen from the two liquid oxygen tanks that were in the spacecraft. And the way they did it, they put gaseous oxygen, or gas, in the fill line and forced it out the vent line through a sys- tem in the tank itself; the plumbing allowed you to do that. But years before the flight, this FROM TOP: The staff at tank had Mission Control looks Fra Mauro. Fra Mauro was sup- be an earlier been dropped on during a live TV posed to be a very informative flight. in the fac- broadcast from Apollo 13 the evening of April place with different kinds of I went tory. Now 13. (Haise appears on materials than 11 or 12 picked home and I they tested it the giant screen.) Less than 10 minutes after up. That was our whole objective, told my wife, out for every- the broadcast finished, and so that’s what we trained for. “We’re gonna go thing it had to do an oxygen tank onboard exploded. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it. on 13, not 14,” and to supply oxygen to she said, “13?” I said, the spacecraft, but they The Apollo 13 insignia Astronomy: I understand your “Well, it comes after 12.” failed to look at the mecha- included the Latin phrase Ex Luna, crew was originally scheduled to [Laughs.] Then they put that in nisms and the tubing to remove Scientia — “From the fly on Apollo 14 and not 13, but the movie. [Laughs.] the oxygen after a routine test. So Moon, knowledge” — a reference to the NASA rejected [Director of Flight when the flight crew, after the last mission being the Crew Operations] Deke Slayton’s Astronomy: How do you feel test, just two weeks before the first scheduled lunar recommendation for the Apollo 13 about that, looking back now? flight, tried to remove the oxygen, landing in which the return of science would crew, and thus bumped you up. I they couldn’t do it. play the most was wondering, how did you feel Lovell: Well, being in the gov- So they looked at the schemat- significant role. about that at the time and how ernment at NASA, we don’t ics of the tank. They looked and do you feel looking back on that believe in myths like the number they said, “Well, wait a second. in retrospect now? 13, but it did have — as you look This tank has a heater on it. And The day before at the flight and you analyze the we should just apply ground Lovell: Well, it’s kind of inter- mission from its inception to the power because we have ground the flight, they esting. After Apollo 8, … I was finality of it, you’ll see that it was power at the launch site” — put liquid the backup to Neil on Apollo 11. plagued by bad omens and bad 65-volt ground power, while the Then I was assigned Apollo 14, so luck from the very beginning. spacecraft flew at 28-volt power. oxygen back we started training for that, but One by one, now that I look back They applied the 65-volt power the NASA management deter- on it, I can see the things that to the oxygen tank’s heater sys- into [the mined that Al Shepard didn’t occurred that told me that, hey, tem and, as they predicted, it oxygen tank], have enough training. He was something’s gonna happen here. worked out. They boiled the oxy- grounded for some time. gen out of the tank and made and from then So one day Deke came in Astronomy: Can you mention everything all squared away, all and said, “Look, we want to put a few of those things? set to go. But what they didn’t on it was a you on 13 rather than 14.” I know, as the temperature in the bomb waiting thought that would be fine. I Lovell: Yeah. First of all, we tank got up close to 80 degrees, mean, we’d be coming up six were getting all squared away which is kind of unusual for liq- to go off. months or some time earlier. It’d to check things out. During the uid oxygen, the little thermostat 20 ASTRONOMY • APRIL 2020 was gonna open up to shut off the Astronomy: Yeah. In retro- power and keep the heat down. spect, it sounds quite interesting. But when it came up, the higher [Along] that same line of thought, voltage welded those contacts the Apollo 13 liftoff started flaw- shut, and from then on, we had lessly, but the center engine on the no safety. Saturn V, the second stage, shut As it turned out, the tempera- down about two minutes early. ture got up to 300 or 400 degrees. Did you have concerns at that The ground crew never knew point, whether you’d be able to it. The oxygen was all removed. reach the Moon? The tank didn’t explode for some strange reason. All the oxygen got Lovell: Yes, we did. Suddenly, out. But the day before the flight, the center engine shut down I they put liquid oxygen back into think one minute or two minutes it, and from then on it was a early, and we had that big light bomb waiting to go off. blinking at us and we said, “Boy, But the anomaly of this whole what’s the story?” thing was, back in 1965 I think it Well, it turned out that on the was, the manufacturer of the third stage we had enough fuel spacecraft told the manufacturer to get into Earth orbit and then of the liquid oxygen tank to go around, and with enough change the circuit breakers or the fuel left on the third stage to thermostats from being compat- give us the velocity to go to the CLOCKWISE FROM ible for 28-volt to 65-volt.