A Successful Failure: Apollo 13

On April 11,1970, Apollo 13 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Commanded by astronaut James Lovell, with astronauts John Swigert and Fred Haise, the spacecraft was on its way to the moon. At a distance of about 200,000 miles from Earth, Lovell unexpectedly reported to Mission Control: "Houston we've had a problem": A liquid oxygen tank exploded. The mission had to be aborted. The situation looked extremely grave.Fortunately, the lunar module "Aquarius" became a backup and was used effectively as a lifeboat. The crew survived their ordeal and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 17. They were recovered by the U.S.S. Iwo Jima.