Apollo 13 – Houston we have a Problem [Infographic]

Apollo 13 was a NASA lunar mission launched on April 11, 1970, with the goal of landing on the Moon. The crew of the Apollo 13 mission consisted of three astronauts:

James A. Lovell Jr. (Commander), A veteran astronaut, Lovell was in charge of the mission and had previous experience on Gemini and Apollo flights. He was responsible for overseeing the crew’s operations and making critical decisions during the crisis.

John L. “Jack” Swigert Jr. (Command Module Pilot), Swigert was a addedo the mission,  at the last minutereplacing Ken Mattingly after Mattingly was exposed to German measles. Swigert managed the Command Module systems and played a key role in implementing the solutions devised to save the mission.

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Fred W. Haise Jr. (Lunar Module Pilot), Haise was responsible for operating the Lunar Module, which became the crew’s lifeboat after the explosion. He also worked closely with Lovell and Swigert to ensure their survival.

Backup Crew:

The backup crew for Apollo 13 included:

• John W. Young (Commander)
• Thomas K. Mattingly II (Command Module Pilot)
• Charles M. Duke Jr. (Lunar Module Pilot)

Apollo 13 is best known as the “successful failure” because, although the mission did not achieve its original objective of landing on the Moon, it became a remarkable story of survival and teamwork.

• Crisis: On April 13, two days after launch, an oxygen tank in the Service Module exploded, crippling the spacecraft and causing a loss of electrical power and oxygen in the Command Module.
• Innovation and Teamwork: The crew and mission control in Houston worked together to overcome enormous challenges, including using the Lunar Module as a lifeboat and improvising a CO₂ scrubber to maintain breathable air.
• Safe Return: After a harrowing journey, Apollo 13 safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 17, 1970, thanks to the ingenuity and determination of everyone involved.

The mission’s story of crisis management and ingenuity inspired the famous line (slightly paraphrased), “Houston, we have a problem”, and was later popularized by the 1995 movie Apollo 13.

The 1995 movie Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks as astronaut Jim Lovell, is a gripping dramatization of NASA’s ill-fated 1970 lunar mission.

The film recounts the harrowing journey of astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise (Bill Paxton), and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon), who face life-threatening challenges after an oxygen tank explodes aboard their spacecraft, crippling their mission to the Moon.

Universal Pictures Movie 1995, Apollo 13, starting Bill Baxton,Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon

As the crew struggles to survive in the damaged spacecraft, Mission Control in Houston, led by Flight Director Gene Kranz (Ed Harris), works tirelessly to devise creative solutions to bring them home safely. The film highlights the astronauts’ and ground crew’s teamwork, ingenuity, and courage, turning a near-catastrophe into a testament to human resilience.

The phrase “fitting a square peg into a round hole” became a defining moment of the Apollo 13 mission. It refers to the critical problem the astronauts faced with removing excess carbon dioxide (CO₂) from their spacecraft after the oxygen tank explosion.

The Problem:

After the explosion, the crew was forced to move into the Lunar Module (LM), which was intended for short-term use. The LM’s CO₂ filters were cylindrical and designed for only two astronauts for a limited time. With three astronauts onboard for an extended period, CO₂ levels began to rise dangerously.

The Command Module (CM) had plenty of spare CO₂ filters, but they were square-shaped and incompatible with the LM’s cylindrical filtration system.

The Solution:

The engineers at NASA’s Mission Control worked urgently to solve the problem. They devised a plan using only the materials available to the astronauts in the spacecraft:

• A plastic bag
• duct tape
• cardboard
• A hose from a spacesuit

The team on the ground demonstrated how to build an adapter to connect the square filters from the Command Module to the cylindrical system in the Lunar Module. The astronauts successfully followed the instructions and assembled the adapter, allowing them to filter CO₂ and breathe safely.

Significance:

This event became a symbol of ingenuity and resourcefulness, showcasing the creativity and problem-solving abilities of NASA’s engineers under intense pressure. It saved the lives of the Apollo 13 crew and has since been regarded as one of the greatest feats of improvisation in space exploration history.

The Infographic:

Tony Bela’s illustrations are renowned for their intricate detail and ability to convey complex information visually. In the case of the infographic depicting the Apollo 13 mission, his artwork beautifully stitches together key moments of the mission, telling the full story of the journey. From launch to the dramatic in-flight explosion and the crew’s harrowing return to Earth, the infographic captures the critical events, problem-solving efforts, and teamwork that defined Apollo 13.

Through his work, Bela transforms a historic mission into an accessible and visually engaging narrative, allowing viewers to appreciate the ingenuity and resilience that saved the astronauts’ lives. His illustrations not only educate but also inspire, highlighting the human spirit and the remarkable achievements of space exploration. See his work in the infographic below which illustrates the complete journey of Appllo 13 mission.