Better | Apollo 13

Without the Service Module propulsion engine, NASA had to use the Lunar Module’s descent engine to alter the spacecraft's path.

On April 17, 1970, after 142 hours and 54 minutes in space, Odyssey slammed into Earth’s atmosphere. For four agonizing minutes, the ship lost communications (the ionization blackout). The world held its breath. When the three parachutes deployed over the South Pacific, splashing down near the recovery ship USS Iwo Jima, cheers erupted in Mission Control. Apollo 13

The fatal flaw involved the tank’s thermostatic switches. They were rated for 28 volts, but the ground test equipment used 65 volts. The excessive voltage welded the switches shut, meaning the heater inside the tank stayed on continuously. During ground tests, temperatures inside the tank reached over 1,000°F (538°C), destroying the Teflon insulation on the fan motor wires. When Swigert flipped the switch in space, those bare wires shorted, creating a spark that ignited the pure oxygen atmosphere inside the tank. Without the Service Module propulsion engine, NASA had

The re-entry was the longest four minutes of their lives. The plasma blackout caused by superheated air around the capsule cut off all radio communication. In Mission Control, silence. Gene Kranz later said, “You could hear a mouse tiptoeing on a cotton ball.” Then, at 1:07 PM EST, the voice of Lovell broke through: “Okay, Houston… Odyssey’s coming through.” A moment later, the three orange-and-white parachutes blossomed against the blue sky. The world held its breath