Lift-off of Apollo 13
Where in the United States did the Apollo 13 spaceship lift off?
The ship lifted off in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center.
What was the purpose of the Apollo 13 mission?
The United States and Russia were racing to space and wanted to land on the moon and collect samples.
Francisco
As the Astronauts prepared for their journey to the moon, Mission Control asked Swigert to turn on a switch. What happened? What did the Astronauts think had caused this?
Half of the SM exploded. It was leaking Oxygen and they lost energy or electricity needed to run the ship. The astronauts thought a meteorite or space rock had hit the ship.
Why was this mission called the Successful Failure?
NASA likely also learned that teamwork and staying calm during an emergency helped people find life-saving solutions. They did not get to the moon but the crew made it home safely.
How did the Astronauts described how they felt as the space ship left the gravity of Earth?
The Astronauts felt as if their bones might shatter, and that their skin was being stretched or being pulled back from their face!
Francisco, Antonio, Jesus
How fast was this Ship moving through space?
The Apollo 13 travel speed was about 24,000 miles per hour.
What is rule number 1, when there is an emergency in space?
Focus on the problem, only! Worry and panic do not get you closer to a solution.
What is gravity?
The force that pulls objects toward the ground.
Name the three parts of the Apollo 13 space ship.
The service module SM, Odyssey, and the lunar module LM.
Francisco, Antonio, Jesus
Although the Apollo 13 space ship was unable to go to the moon how, how many miles did they travel from Earth?
The Astronauts traveled 280,000 miles from Earth.
What did the Astronauts do to regain more Oxygen and energy so they could safely get back to Earth?
They removed the service module and remained hooked up to the LM or lunar module. The LM also had extra Oxygen and power.
The Astronauts had ingenuity. What does this mean?
The skill of thinking or doing thing in a new ways to solve a problem.
What did the service module SM do for the ship? What did the lunar module LM provide for the ship?
The service module provided power and Oxygen for the ship and so did the lunar module.
Who stayed in contact with the Apollo 13 crew all through the flight, from lift-off to landing on Earth again.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration or "NASA", in Houston. This was also called "Mission Control".
What was the last solution that helped the Astronauts survive the trip home?
They had to turn off all but the most important systems on the Odyssey and LM. One was the heaters. The temperature outside the ship was 280 degrees Fahrenheit below zero.
What is the Earth's atmosphere?
The layers of gases surrounding Earth or other planets.
What was important about the Odyssey capsule. How did it help the Astronauts on Earth's re-entry?
The Astronauts spent most of their time in the Odyssey capsule. It also had heat shields and parachutes to protect the Astronauts on re-entry to Earth.
Jesus, Antonio, Francisco
Why was NASA important to the Apollo 13 crew and who were these people at Mission Control?
The NASA crew were the engineers and scientists that built the spaceship. They answered questions and helped the Astronauts if there were problems.
How did the smallest part of the ship the Odyssey provide protection as the Astronauts came home?
The heat shields protected the Astronauts and the parachutes slow the small capsules descent so it gently splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean. The Astronauts were safely picked up by the coast guard.
What is a catastrophe?
A terrible sudden disaster.