40th Anniversary of Apollo 13

40 years ago today, an explosion crippled the Apollo 13 spacecraft 200,000 miles from Earth on its way to the Moon. “Houston we have a problem,” was the message radioed to mission control from Commander James Lovell.

I recently had the chance to interview Lovell about the mission’s anniversary.  He says it’s hard to believe 40 years have come and gone and remembers the first reaction of he and fellow astronauts Fred Haise and Jack Swigert to the explosion.

“We had a 10% chance (of survival)  but we never bounced off the walls and never panicked. We thought that wouldn’t do any good. We were still breathing,” said Lovell. 

Now retired and living in Lake Forest, Lovell described the Apollo 13 mission as a successful failure. “Apollo 13 was not just another thrilling space adventure. It was a classic case of crisis management…good leadrship and teamwork all came together to help us get back safely

What Lovell said next really strikes a chord and is advice that would suit us all well in the face of adversity. “After Apollo 13, I don’t worry about crisis anymore. I never regret the past and don’t sweat the future. Oh I still have crises all the time but I just take them one at a time.” he said.

Lovell, Haise and others involved with Apollo 13 along with fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Gene Cernan are scheduled to attend a gala commemorating the mission’s 40th Anniversary today at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. Several actors from the movie “Apollo 13″ will also be in attendance.