The hero of the Apollo 13 mission is widely considered to be Commander Jim Lovell, along with his crewmates Fred Haise and Jack Swigert, for their calm leadership and ingenuity in returning safely to Earth after an in-flight explosion, turning a near-disaster into a legendary survival story through teamwork and innovation. Lovell, in particular, became a symbol of courage and resourcefulness for his famous, understated report, "Houston, we've had a problem," and his role in managing the crippled spacecraft.
Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin landed the Lunar Module Eagle on July 20 at 20:17 UTC, and Armstrong became the first person to step onto the surface about six hours later, at 02:56 UTC on July 21.
Much earlier he made an appearance in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), starring David Bowie. Lovell's wife, Marilyn, died in 2023. He is survived by their children, Barbara, James, Susan and Jeffrey, 11 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Astronaut-geologist Harrison Schmitt's key lunar discoveries during Apollo 17 included the vibrant orange soil (volcanic glass beads from a lava fountain), which hinted at unexpected volatiles and a dynamic early Moon, and a significant rock sample, Troctolite 76535, which provided strong evidence for an ancient lunar magnetic field, challenging formation theories. He also collected numerous other rocks and soils, totaling over 240 pounds, furthering understanding of lunar geology and composition.
Haise developed a kidney and urinary tract infection, causing intense pain and flight sickness during a mounting crisis.
Diarrhea in the space environment presents several problems, including constant use of the Waste Containment System and dehydration, which may exacerbate landing orthostasis. Over-the-counter medications (Imodium and Pepto Bismol) for oral ingestion are available in the Shuttle Orbiter Medical Systems (SOMS) kit.
Floating free against the velvety blackness of space was Bruce McCandless II. For the first time ever, a human being was able to perform a spacewalk while completely untethered thanks to the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), a jetpack-like device McCandless helped develop for over a decade.
The most famous quote from the Apollo 13 mission is "Houston, we've had a problem", spoken by Commander Jim Lovell shortly after an oxygen tank exploded. While the movie version famously shortened it to "Houston, we have a problem", the original transmission from the spacecraft was the longer phrase.
Post-Senate career
Schmitt is an adjunct professor of engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and has long been a proponent of lunar resource utilization.
“There are people who dare, who dream, and who lead others to places we would not go on our own,” Hanks said of Lovell in a heartfelt Instagram tribute post published after the astronaut's death was announced on Friday.
Soon after, Swigert's crewmate Fred Haise developed a serious urinary tract infection from a microbe that hitched a ride in the spacecraft—the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The infection spread to his kidneys, causing intense pain and threatening to infect other parts of his body.
Apollo 1 Tragedy
Jan. 27, 1967, tragedy struck on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy during a preflight test for Apollo 204 (AS-204). The mission was to be the first crewed flight of Apollo, and was scheduled to launch Feb. 21, 1967.
Collins should originally have flown on Apollo 9, but a spinal injury and his need for surgery meant that he could not fly.
Return to the Moon
Artemis II, scheduled for launch between February and April sees the return of the first people to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. Three American and one Canadian astronaut will orbit the Moon on a 10 day journey that lays the foundation for lunar landings in the coming years.
The 1995 film Apollo 13 used the slight misquotation "Houston, we have a problem" in its dramatization of the mission, since it had become the popularly expected phrase. The phrase has been informally used to describe the emergence of an unforeseen problem, often with a sense of ironic understatement.
However, most zero-gravity scenes are filmed in a much simpler, much cheaper way. The most common method of simulating zero-gravity on a film set is to put the actors in a harness. Wires can then connect to the harness and lift the actors into the air, where they spend much of the scene in front of a green screen.
There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what happened. To be successful, you need to be a person who makes things happen.
Pee is more than 90% water. Since water is heavy and takes up a lot of space, it is better to recycle pee rather than bring up clean water from Earth. All astronaut pee is collected and turned back into clean, drinkable water.
But the moniker of the "most terrifying space photo" is generally given to a photo of astronaut Bruce McCandless II, taken from the space shuttle Challenger on February 7, 1984.
Krikalev is sometimes referred to as the "last Soviet citizen," having been aboard Mir during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. With the country that launched him no longer existing, his return was delayed, and he remained in space for 311 days—twice as long as planned.
The UPA, cramps and periods generally being a bit messy, mean many astronauts now choose to not menstruate on missions. By taking birth control in the form of a hormonal pill, people who menstruate can induce amenorrhea (say: uh-men-o-REE-uh).
Crumbly Foods Like Bread Are Out
Bread is one of the most familiar items on Earth but it is extremely unsuitable for space. Crumbs are very likely to float away in microgravity, getting into instruments or being inhaled by the astronauts.