![Apollo 13 launches upward, leaving a column of flames and light brown vapor behind it. Trees and vegetation frame the water at the bottom of the photo. Outlines of small animals can be see in the water. At bottom left is written \"Apollo 13, launch\" in capital letters. At bottom right is a series of letters and numbers labeling the photo.](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0101247orig-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>NASA astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert launch aboard the Apollo 13<\/a> spacecraft from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 11, 1970. The mission seemed to be going smoothly until 55 hours and 55 minutes<\/a> in when an oxygen tank ruptured. The new mission plan involved abandoning the Moon landing, looping around the Moon and getting the crew home safely as quickly as possible. The crew needed to go into \u201clifeboat mode,\u201d using the lunar module Aquarius to save the spacecraft and crew. On April 17, the crew returned to Earth<\/a>, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near Samoa.<\/p>\n Image credit: NASA<\/em><\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a> NASA astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert launch aboard the Apollo 13 spacecraft from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 11, 1970. The mission seemed to be going smoothly until 55 hours and 55 minutes in when an oxygen tank ruptured. The new mission plan involved abandoning the Moon landing, looping [\u2026] Continue reading
\nMonika Luabeya <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"