Apollo 13 launched on April 11, 1970, with astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise. They were headed for the Moon. About two days into the trip, an oxygen tank in the service module exploded.
They radioed back with the line the world still knows: Houston, we’ve had a problem.
A lifeboat in space
The explosion disabled two of three fuel cells, and the oxygen was running out. The crew moved into the lunar module, called Aquarius, and used it as a lifeboat. It was built for two men for about 45 hours. It now had to keep three men alive for around four days.
Square peg, round hole
The air began to fill with carbon dioxide. The filters in the lunar module did not fit the ones from the command module. Engineers on the ground built an adapter out of things the crew had on board, including plastic covers from manuals and duct tape, and talked the men through making it.
Home
On April 17, 1970, the crew splashed down safely in the South Pacific. The mission never reached the Moon. Many people still call it a success, because everyone came home.
What stays with me
The plan failed. The people did not. They changed the goal from get to the Moon to get home alive, and they worked it one problem at a time.
If your plan just blew up, you are allowed to change the goal. Just get everyone home. Then you can build again.
Source: read more about the facts here.
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On April 13, 1970, an oxygen tank exploded in the service module, far from Earth. James Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert moved into the lunar module, which became their lifeboat. Then carbon dioxide began building up. The command module had square canisters to clean the air, but the lunar module needed round ones. Engineers on the ground designed a fix using plastic bags, cardboard and tape, and talked the crew through building it. NASA calls it the mailbox. It worked.
Splashdown
The three men splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 17, 1970, after launching on April 11. The USS Iwo Jima was the recovery ship. The mission lasted five days, 22 hours, 54 minutes. The planned lunar landing never happened. But all three men came home safely.
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