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Science Friday > Archives > 2000 > April > April 14, 2000: 

Hour Two: Apollo 13 Anniversary - "Failure is Not an Option"

Thirty years ago this week, Apollo 13 launched from Florida on a planned trip to the moon. 55 hours into the flight, however, the astronauts on board, John ("Jack") Swigert, Jim Lovell, and Fred Haise, radioed back to Mission Control in Houston that they had had a problem. The problem, later determined to have been an explosion in one of the spacecraft's oxygen tanks, was very serious. Not only did it scrap any plans for a moon landing that trip, it left the three astronauts on board perilously low on electric power and oxygen.  Using a variety of makeshift devices, the crew was able to use the resources of the lunar landing module as a liferaft as they waited for Mission Control to bring them home.

Swigert suits up for launch. NASA image.

Gene Kranz in Houston's Mission Control.

On this hour of Science Friday, we'll talk to Gene Kranz, former NASA flight director, who led the "White Team" that planned the maneuvers that returned the crew of Apollo 13 safely to Earth. (Actor Ed Harris played the role of Gene Kranz in the movie "Apollo 13," and won an Academy award for his performance.) Kranz also directed the landing of the first men on the moon in the Apollo 11 mission, and went on to become director of NASA mission operations. In his new book, "Failure is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond "  Kranz discusses his involvement with NASA missions from the early days of Mercury launches, the Gemini program, and the Apollo moon missions. Join Ira Flatow in this hour of Science Friday for a chance to talk with one of the giants of the space age about the history -- and future -- of human space flight. Our call-in number is 1-800-989-8255.

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Guest:
Gene Kranz
Flight Director, Apollo 13 Mission
Former Director of NASA Mission Operations
Author, "Failure is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond " (Simon and Schuster, 2000)
Houston, Texas

Books/Articles Discussed:

Failure is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond" by Gene Kranz. (Simon and Schuster, 2000)

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This segment produced by:
Charles Bergquist
Web producer:
Charles Bergquist