Apollo 13 returns to Earth
With the world anxiously watching Apollo 13 a U.S.lunar spacecraft that suffered a severe malfunction on its journey to the moon safely returns to Earth.On April 11 the third manned lunar landing mission was launched from Cape Canaveral Florida carrying astronauts James A.Lovell John L.
Swigert and Fred W.Haise.The mission was headed for a landing on the Fra Mauro highlands of the moon.
However two days into the mission disaster struck 200000 miles from Earth when oxygen tank No.2 blew up in the spacecraft.Swigert reported to mission control on Earth Houston weve had a problem here and it was discovered that the normal supply of oxygen electricity light and water had been disrupted.
The landing mission was aborted and the astronauts and controllers on Earth scrambled to come up with emergency procedures.The crippled spacecraft continued to the moon circled it and began a long cold journey back to Earth.The astronauts and mission control were faced with enormous logistical problems in stabilizing the spacecraft and its air supply as well as providing enough energy to the damaged fuel cells to allow successful reentry into Earths atmosphere.Navigation was another problem and Apollo 13s course was repeatedly corrected with dramatic and untested maneuvers.
On April 17 tragedy turned to triumph as the Apollo 13 astronauts touched down safely in the Pacific Ocean.
