Houston, we have a problem
1 additions to document , most recent over 4 years ago
| When | Why |
|---|---|
| Jan-02-21 | Apollo 13 | "Houston, We Have a Problem" scene |
‘Houston, we have a problem’
It was 13 April 1970, two days after the launch of Apollo 13. BBC journalist, Reg Turnill was reporting on the mission from the space centre in Houston. He describes the moment he realised there was a problem with Apollo 13:
’I looked into mission control just before going to bed. I was going through the door when I heard Jim Lowell say, “Houston, we have a problem“.’
Instead of going to bed, the journalist went back to his desk and stayed there for the next three days.
Apollo 13’s commander, Jim Lowell, together with his colleagues Fred Haise and Jack Swigert, were carrying out NASA’s third mission to the moon. But this never happened.
Nearly two days into the flight, things were going so smoothly that Joe Kerwin, on duty at mission control, told the crew, ’The spacecraft is in real good shape (...). We’re bored to tears down here.’
Several hours later, the crew heard a loud explosion. On board the spacecraft, warning lights were flashing. One of the fuel tanks was empty and one of them was close to zero. Thirteen minutes after the explosion, Jim Lovell looked out of the hatch. Gas was escaping into space.
NASA reacted quickly. They called in all the most experienced astronauts, including Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. They worked day and night with the NASA engineers and the crew of Apollo 13 to find a solution.
Both mission control and the astronauts remained very calm, but by breakfast time, the media were going crazy. Millions of people were following the events on television. The newspapers reported that the astronauts only had a ten-percent chance of getting home safely.
Meanwhile, on board, the astronauts did not discuss the possibility of not returning home. They were trying to figure out what was happening and how to fix it. Supplies of oxygen and water were running out, but with the help of the engineers at mission control, they came up with a plan.
The spacecraft orbited the moon, using its gravity to return to earth. As the spacecraft left outer space and re-entered into the earth’s atmosphere, nobody knew whether the astronauts would live or die.
Under parachutes, the spacecraft appeared through the clouds and exhausted workers at mission control were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, raise their hands and cheer.
The capsule succesfully returned to earth on Friday 17 April 1970. It splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, near Tonga, where a rescue boat was waiting to recover the three astronauts.
Added January 02, 2021 at 3:00pm
by Vladimir Milosavljević
Title: Apollo 13 | "Houston, We Have a Problem" scene
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Where was Apollo 13 flying to?
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Why didn’t it get there?
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Who helped the astronauts solve the problem?
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How many days in total did the astronauts spend in space?
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What does he mean?
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General Document Comments 0
small door –
thought of/produced –
understand –
working –
not be worried any more –
getting less and less –
shout happily –
doing/taking part in -
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When did the first mission to the moon take place?
Who was the first man to set foot on the moon?
What did he say then?
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Here are some opinions about space exploration. Which do you agree with?
1. Space exploration is very expensive – we should solve problems on earth first such as poverty and starvation.
2. The earth’s population is growing – we will need to live on another planet one day.
3. We need space exploration to answer big questions: are we alone? are there other forms of life out there?
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