"Houston, we've had a problem." These words were transmitted to NASA Mission Control from Astronaut Jim Lovell, the Commander aboard the Apollo 13 spacecraft. He and Astronauts John "Jack" Swigert and Fred Haise were in outer space on a mission to land on the moon. They were supposed to be the third crew to land on the moon, after Apollo 11 (7/20/1969), and Apollo 12 (11/19/1969), but a series of mistakes, accidents, and challenges would change their mission to survival.

During a routine operation aboard the spacecraft, a circuit shorted which caused a small and explosion. This caused a number of other instruments to be damaged, and created many issues that needed to be solved over the next four days. The explosion had knocked them off course a bit, which they were able to correct. It also damaged the power supply and the air filtration system. They were running out of power to get home, and the carbon dioxide levels in the air were quickly rising. With the creative thinking of the engineers at NASA and the calm and steady reactions by the astronauts, each of the challenges were solved.

They returned home safely on April 17, 1970.

This was Commander Jim Lovell's second mission to the moon. He was part of the Apollo 8 crew, which was the first to orbit the moon. Prior to the Apollo missions, Lovell was part of two space flights with NASA's Gemini program. He retired from NASA in 1973. Lovell lives outside Chicago with his wife of 70 years, Marilyn. There is a crater in the moon that is named after him.

Jack Swigert was a last minute substitute for the Apollo 13 mission. Just two days before the launch, the intended astronaut, Ken Mattingly, was thought to have been exposed to the measles and could not go on the mission. Swigert joined the Apollo 13 crew. He retired from NASA in 1977, and ran to be a US Congressman in 1982. Swigert won the Congressional seat for Colorado, but died of cancer a few weeks after the election, before being sworn into office. He was 51 years old.

Fred Haise was the back up pilot for Apollo 8, and Apollo 11, prior to joining the crew of Apollo 13. While in outer space, Haise developed a kidney infection that caused him to be sick and in pain for most of the Apollo 13 flight. He was slated to be the commander of the Apollo 19 flight, with a mission to land on the moon. However, the flight was cancelled due to budget cuts. Haise went on to work on the Space Shuttle Program, and piloted the Enterprise in test flights. He retired from NASA in 1979. Haise lives in Biloxi, MS, with his wife Patt.

All three of the astronauts received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Richard M. Nixon in 1970. All three men were inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame and the US Astronaut Hall of Fame.

None of the men ever landed on the moon.

You can find out more about the Apollo program and the Apollo 13 mission on the NASA website. There is also a great movie titled, Apollo 13, that you can watch with an adult's permission.

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