Apollo 13’s “Successful Failure”: The Epic Journey of Jim Lovell, NASA’s Legendary Commander
Apollo 13, commanded by Jim Lovell, launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970 at 2:13 PM EST with Jack Swigert replacing Ken Mattingly 48 hours before launch due to measles exposure, suffered an oxygen-tank explosion on April 13, and splashed down in the Pacific near Samoa on April 17. Aquarius, the Lunar Module designed for two men for 2 days on the Moon, was pressed into service as a lifeboat for three astronauts for four days. Oxygen Tank 2 exploded and Tank 1 began leaking in the Service Module, knocking out two of Apollo 13’s three fuel cells