Met Fred Haise a few years back. I work at a Honda dealership and he brought his vehicle in for an oil change. Wouldn't you know, he drives an Odyssey?! Was so cool to meet him.
Love the patience and respect demonstrated by the British TV hosts on this clip - “Just b/c you can say/do something doesn’t mean you should/have to….”
And as I recall, all over the world people were bawling with relief when those 3 chutes were suddenly visible ... oh wow, this was intense at the time. Thanks for the memory.
Munse Pine, that's correct: I was a kid, watching this on a black and white TV from another country. The school sent us home early to pray for the astronauts and hopefully witness a happy ending. As the chutes deflated, when the capsule hit the water, a growing sound came through the windows in my house. I opened a window and finally realized what it was: the sound of hundreds of church bells in a city of nearly 2 million people. It felt as if the entire city was "singing", expressing the gratitude that was in our hearts. To this day I don't know if it was planned or a spontaneous action, but I know what it felt like: that moment is seared in my memory.
@@vittoriahawksworth8117 I was 9 coming on 10 and I didn't realize what was going on till years later I saw this movie and realized "Hey I saw that on TV when I was a kid".
The story never fails to fascinate me. I learned from recently watching a video with Jim Lovell who said that once the problem of the blown oxygen tank was reported to Houston, to the time they initiated the plan to send them on the course to swing around the moon was a span of 15 minutes. Which means the engineers did an extraordinary job of making the calculations. To be exact, Lovell said they came up with five calculations. Doing five complex math problems with the lives of the three astronauts on the line within the span of 15 minutes is nothing short of mind-blowing math.
And they did it with slide rules and pencil and paper. Amazing! VERY limited computing power (the mainframe in use at NASA was an IBM 360 with 1 MB core storage, so there wasn't a whole lot of space for anything but calculations).
Wonder if they were thinking, "If we'd ONLY give the Americans representation in Parliament, that might have been a Union Jack they planted on the moon in '69."
@@billolsen4360I doubt newsreaders were thinking about political issues that became moot over two centuries ago. Only weird nationalistic obsessives actively contemplate such things on a regular basis.
@@zonesquestiloveunderworld”weird nationalist” lol 😂 Not that deep bud, but welcome to reality where competition drives the world. COMPETITION. It’s ok to be proud of the nation you’re from, this was a great American feat but this should be seen as a huge step for the future of mankind as a whole.
I was in kindergarden or 1st grade. The principle came on over the intercom and led the school in a prayer of safety for our astronauts. Today the principle would have been censured!
The 3 astronauts who were able to return to earth with Apollo 13 were incredibly good at their jobs. It is quite amazing to me that they never went back to the moon for a mission to land there after having been very close to it in this mission. 12 people walked on the moon and the 3 astronauts of Apollo 13 are not among them. What they did was incredible, especially with the technology that was available in 1970.
@@geoaerorider4589 Ever read the credits at the end of a movie? It would take hundreds to create a moon landing movie. Over half a century has passed. I'm not aware that anyone has stepped forward and proved they were the cameraman, lighting expert, prop manager, etc.
The three men on this mission are without a doubt three of the smartest and bravest people who ever lived. To survive an all but hopeless situation 380,000km from civilization.
I get what you mean. The Moon Landing was extraordinary but they were able to plan and test and train as much as possible. Here they were in a race against time and they had to improvise with limited equipment. It's extraordinary.
I was almost four years old when this happened. My earliest memory is my mother picking me up and pointing to the Moon in the evening sky and telling me "there are men up there right now and they're trying to come home". I was entirely baffled by this but it stuck in my memory. It wasn't until my teenage years that I came to understand what she had meant.
The spaceship exploded, power out, travel with computer out, coming in on minimum power and emergency (untried) procedure - and landing so close to the target. Quite good job.
I remember it well , being just a kid I never doubted that they'd return , it's only in later years you learn how lucky they were. If they'd landed on the Moon, there would have been no LEM life raft ;it took genius thinking to solve the CO2 problem , The only thing NASA ever "covered up" about the Moon shots was how dangerous these missions really were. The Astronauts were superb. Everyone from my generation strongly remembers 3 Apollo's; 8 11 and 13
Brings me to tears every time - whether its the movie or the live broadcast. It was an extraordinary mission and an incredible achievement by the crew of Apollo 13 and the Mission Control team. Heroes all.
With the exception of the Sixties assassinations the last few hours of the Apollo 13 flight, especially waiting for signal acquisition, were the most stressful moments of my life that didn't physically involve me personally. It's impossible to describe the tension. It seemed as though no one in the world was breathing for those last few moments and I'll freely admit that as a fairly tough and jaded 20 year old guy I burst into tears when we finally saw those chutes.
Roger Clemons - you are lying. As for your lunar landing hoax conspiracy theory, you'd do well not to repeat it in front of Buzz Aldrin. One guy who dared him swear upon a Bible that he did walk on the Moon got a punch in the face, and it was recorded in video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OROlF8zB9z0.html
@@AndyP959 it's clear you know nothing about it since less than 10% of those available to draft were actually drafted, 70% of the boots on the ground were volunteers and draft exclusions were always a thing 🤦🏻♂️
Goodness me - I remember this happening live. It’s no less nail biting hearing it again when we know that they got home safe and sound. What a miracle that they all got home again, and thanks to everyone working so very hard and determinedly! Glad I found this recording - thank you!
I remember watching the Apollo flights on the BBC. James Burke was a fantastic presenter his knowledge and enthusiasm for the missions was brilliant. Him and Patrick Moore were an ace team.
@@charleswilson7371 you must not be American because our school textbooks contain information about the Apollo 13 mission, as early as 3rd grade and into high school, in both science and history classes. All our school textbooks from K-12 come from one publishing company in Texas and they all contain the same content in schools across the country
I know how this mission turns out. I'm still shaking, have goosebumps, & praying for them. Wow, I wasn't even born, but this had to be agonizing for the families.
Jim Lovell [ably assisted by Haise & Swigert], on manual control, and "eyeballing" it, coming in at 25,000 mph, got within 4 freaking miles, of the recovery ship. The Right Stuff, no doubt about it.
Roger Clemons Never took a class in chemistry? We are not those, who are saying "they dropped them from 20k feet... You cant prove your shit, you just want to get attention by being a fucking hoax believer. I hope once you will get a chance to go in space, then you'll shut up. Maybe...
At the time when there was concern that the heat shield could be damaged, NASA also feared that the parachutes bundle compartment whose heating system was turned off, would be frozen blocks that wouldn't unfurl.
It was almost like the earth came into a complete standstill at that moment in time. One of the best moments in human history, although the mission was a failure, it was a rough comeback. Good stuff.
I still find myself holding my breath just as I did when I watched the live coverage of the splashdown. So intense! I'll never forget the worldwide collective sigh of relief.
Warren Haig Ironic that they’re extremely gullible people that believe whatever sounds cool or interesting, and in this case it’s the feeling of having one over on everyone else. Half-wits.
@Albert Spooner why a man would go to the moon in 2019, if they were there before, there its just dust and rocks, nothing new, and also that cost lots of money
The BBC's James Burke, the lead reporter on this video, was the finest journalist covering the U.S. moon program. He understood the technical details, but also how the moon landings benefited the American people, an angle oddly underreported by U.S. television journalists.
I had the privilege of flying Commander Lovell a number of years ago on his book tour a few times. What an amazing, humble gentleman. I was doing my job at the time, in retrospect, I wish I’d had more time to just sit and listen to him. Some time later I also had the good fortune to hear Captain Gene Cernan speak as a keynote speaker at a conference I attended and to briefly meet him. Again, another truly amazing gentleman. I hope we have not seen the last of their likes, true American heroes of the highest order. Their stories deserve to be more widely known among modern generations.
TrackpadProductions, Hahahahaha! Yep, I have learned this lesson the hard way several times. I guess that I'm a slow learner. It boggles the mind to realize (1) how credulous so many people are regarding some of the most bizarre, convoluted notions ever conjured by a human mind, and (2) how badly our school systems have failed at least a couple of generations of students in teaching science, history, and, above all, rational and critical thinking skills. It's pretty damned tragic, but the deniers' posts always make me laugh so hard that I can hardly breathe. So I guess it is sort of a bad news/good news situation.😁
Wow, this was intense - discovered this vid by accident while looking up other things. To witness and hear pure, raw emotional nervousness and excitement...just indescribable!!! I clapped and cheered along with them!
Not only did the entire world stopped, but the Soviets said that if it looked as if a splashdown near Russia was the safest option for the crew, they would go and rescue them free of charge
Thank you! This was a thrill and and long overdue one! I was in the 6th grade, age 11. Our class had followed the mission eagerly and nervously, but we did not get to see the splashdown on TV. This was my first viewing of any coverage. Wonderful job the broadcasters did.
I remember this at the time. Suddenly the world media were interested again. Every tv channel and newspaper were interviewing anyone remotely connected with the project.
Actually, one other thing went right--the timing of the explosion. Had it happened much earlier, the battery power wouldn't have held out in the LM. If it had happened much later, the "free-return" burn would have been impossible with the LM engine.
***** If I understand the situation, the batteries and other consumables in the ascent stage of the LM wouldn't have lasted long enough for them to get home had they discarded the descent stage. It also would have made the PC+2 burn more complicated. The ascent stage engine was only about 1/3 as powerful as the descent stage engine, so it would have had to burn a long time, and probably (although I haven't done that math) didn't have enough propellant on board. Discarding the SM would have helped by lowering the mass involved, but they were reluctant to do it for a couple of reasons-one is that even though they were working on the assumption that the engine wasn't useable, there may have been some contingency situation where the SM engine might have been a "last chance" to get the crew home safely. Plus, the SM itself provided some insulation for the heat shield against the deep cold of cislunar space. My guess is that they never tested the heat shield under those conditions, and weren't sure if the extreme cold could have caused cracks that would have allowed the CM to burn up on reentry.
IKR, even the launch had a problem with the 2nd stage inboard engine cutting out early. Apollo 12 had the lightning strike, and Apollo 14 had the Abort button problem that they had to fix (a 1 in register 1 in the computer.) 11, 15, 16, and 17 went just as planned
I was almost seven years old, and remember watching this at the time and wondering if they’d make it back home. James Burke there, with his fingers crossed, and Cliff Michelmore and Patrick Moore looking tense. The relief at seeing the red and white ‘chutes was too much for my Dad, who burst into tears. Great job to all involved, and very cool graphics for the time.
Ya know…STILL REMAINS an Aaaaaaah Praise God time for me!! Every single person is EXACTLY where they NEEDED TO BE! Any ONE not in “that place”…and we WOULD NOT have had this ending!! God IS GREAT, ain’t He??!!! 🇺🇸❣️🇺🇸
I was born in 1961. I remember very well how my father read a Dutch newspaper with the headline World prays for Apollo 13 astronauts. Still emotional to see this footage again. Monumental.
I remember mum dad and I watching this and all the other splashdowns, absolutely enthralled, not only of the event but that fact we could see this happening LIVE in the UK...thanks for sharing.
Damn, I wasn't even born when this happened, but when someone in the background shouted "There they are!", I started tearing up. Real life does drama way better than Hollywood can even dream of doing.
For those of you to young to remember this moment i myself was in my last year at school, it was a very dramatic moment in history. Everybody thought they were to be lost in space forever a very memorable day indeed.
OMG I know what happened, of course, and I know the crew made it safely home, but STILL, my heart was in my throat and I started to cry as I waited for splash-down, imagining how the family members of these men felt, and wondering how NASA folk felt about what happened and how it was for THEM, waiting for the men to arrive safely home. WHEW...what an experience!
I remember this day of great relief and pride as all Americans did. We saw this coverage on our family's new color TV. How far we have come since is (by nefarious design) a mystery to my grandchildren. For instance, our television was a collection of something called 'transistors' behind a huge 'vacuum tube' where 'cathode rays' lived and worked to make the moving pictures we saw.
This was a little before my time, but I've learned a thing or two about it, beginning with the documentary Moonshot. Things were pretty dire, with the power situation, the buildup of CO2, the damage to the craft, you name it. But those guys never gave up. They never quit. They showed what we as people can do if they persevere and work the problem. No matter how bad things might be, if you keep going, work as a team, and show a little ingenuity, good things can happen.
The public (nor the media) had any idea just how grave this situation was at the time, and how much of a miracle it was to get these men back. It always gives me goose bumps.
They were given only a 10% chance of making it back alive. This flight was improvised from the moment of the oxygen tank explosion until splashdown. Extraordinary minds were at work.
I was seven years old when I sat with my family watching this live broadcast. My father was especially riveted to the excitement and drama of the moment. It was an amazing time.
I'm just too young to remember this for real, but I have to admit to holding my breath during re-entry every time I watch the rather well made Ron Howard movie🚀
I was 13 at the time. I grew up with Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. I loved how it seemed the entire planet was pulling for those men to come home safely.
I was four years old when this happened, so I am too young to remember this; on the other hand, I remember watching the Iranian hostages come home in 1981 when I was fifteen which I am sure is EQUAL in its pain, anxiety and suffering.
Still after all these years with the technology of the time and everything that happened the entire mission it is still absolutely amazing that they were able to almost park the capsule on the deck of the carrier and practically on time. AMERICA AT ITS FINEST!!!!!
I'm 67. I remember listening to this live on the Voice of America on my old Stewart-Warner R136 Shortwave Radio. This video made me dig out my old DX Shortwave Radio Log Book. The entry says... Station: The Voice of America Transmitter: Monrovia, Liberia Interval Signal: Yankee Doodle Date: Saturday April 18 NZST Time: broadcast begins 06:00 NZST Frequency: 15625 Kilocycles Comments: - The Breakfast Show with Pat Gates - Live return of Apollo 13 For music fans, the next entry... Station: The Voice of America Transmitter: Monrovia, Liberia Interval Signal: Yankee Doodle Date: Saturday April 18 NZST Time: broadcast begins 07:00 NZST Frequency: 15625 Kilocycles Comments: - Jazz Hour with Willis Conover Thank you to the uploader for the prompted stroll down memory lane!!
I was a young kid back then. It was amazing. With the first mission it was REALLY BIG. Everywhere, at school this was BIG in all grades, even 1st grade. People who did not have a TV would be at a friend's or at a store in front of TV displays. Newspaper full front page story. It was talked about EVERYWHERE. At the store, food packages, comic books, signs is windows. There has been NOTHING like this since. By Apollo 13 things were returning to normal, but it still was a big deal.
I've talked to Fred Haise about this mission. One thing he was adamant about was that the movie was way more dramatic than it really was, and understandably so, as it was a Hollywood movie. These guys were astronauts and pilots, trained for years as pilots and months before this mission. Even though the events of A-13 were never worked out in a simulator, they stayed cool under pressure, kept their heads and did what they needed to do to work around the problems and get back home.
SteverRob: I suspect that Fred Haise may have been underplaying the dangers with hindsight. Following the oxygen tank blow-out, Mission Control struggled for the next six hours to contain the situation. The Flight Director's Loop audio tapes are still in existence and available to listen to on RU-vid - all six astonishing hours of it: 'Apollo 13 Accident: Flight Director Loop'.
What I find amazing is that they were able, with ground controls help, to make 'makeshift' Co2 scrubbers with materials on board the spacecraft! Without them they probably would have all died. We used to be great... now we are trying to get some of that greatness back!
tubedude54 they weren’t making scrubbers from scratch though were they? They were just trying to fit incompatible scrubbers into the CO2 scrubbing system. Each scrubbing system was designed to be used for only part of the mission and had the appropriate number of cartridges for that use, but they ended up having to use one for basically the whole time, so had to make the cartridges from the other fit into that one.
After seeing the film with Tom Hanks I actually heard these moments on a radio programme. Listening to the real footage made me cry knowing how intense this was & how the crew had everything go against them. Amazing footage Thank you❤
Quite different from what's portrayed in the movie. They had contact with Swigert before visual confirmation. But in the movie, Mission Control kept calling for six minutes before Lovell said "It's good to see ya" at the same time the parachutes were visible.
I watched that when it was happening, talk about stress. I can't imagine the stress the crew and Nasa control felt. We cheered when we first saw the parachutes. Tears flowed. And for a short time the world was united in their caring about 3 human beings doing the impossible.
I remember this like yesterday; even stayed home from school that day (was in 7th grade; middle school) to watch the return and splashdown of the Apollo - 13. The school gladly accepted my excuse for absence as watching history in the making...
Remember watching this as a teenager, still is amazing all these years later in the digital age compared to the modern computing power of today how they achieved this
