Apollo 13
Mission / eventCompleted
Apollo 13: Land at Fra Mauro and conduct a geology-focused lunar surface expedition
Apollo 13 was intended to land at Fra Mauro but became a life-preservation mission after an oxygen tank exploded in the . Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise powered down command module Odyssey and used lunar module Aquarius as a lifeboat. Flight controllers and crew improvised power, water, carbon-dioxide removal, navigation, and course-correction procedures that brought all three astronauts safely home.
Mission photo archive
Reviewed photographs documenting Apollo 13. Every image links to its official NASA catalog record.
View of damaged Apollo 13 Service Module from the Lunar/Command Modules
AS13-59-8562 (17 April 1970) --- This view of the Apollo 13 Lunar Module (LM) was photographed from the Command Module (CM) just after the LM had been jettisoned. The jettisoning occurred a few minutes before 11 a.m. (CST), April 17, 1970, just over an hour prior to splashdown of the CM in the south Pacific Ocean. The apparent explosion of oxygen tank number two in the Apollo 13 Service Module (SM) caused the Apollo 13 crew members to rely on the LM as a "lifeboat".
Apollo 13 Command Module recovery after splashdown
S70-15530 (17 April 1970) --- Crew men aboard the USS Iwo Jima, prime recovery ship for the Apollo 13 mission, hoist the Command Module (CM) aboard ship. The Apollo 13 crew men, astronauts James A. Lovell Jr., John L. Swigert Jr. and Fred W. Haise Jr., were already aboard the Iwo Jima when this photograph was taken. The CM, with the three tired crew men aboard, splashed down at 12:07:44 p.m. (CST), April 17, 1970, only about four miles from the recovery vessel in the South Pacific Ocean.
View of Mission Control Center during the Apollo 13 emergency return
S70-35368 (16 April 1970) --- Overall view showing some of the feverish activity in the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) of the Mission Control Center (MCC) during the final 24 hours of the problem-plagued Apollo 13 mission. Here, flight controllers and several NASA/MSC officials confer at the flight director's console. When this picture was made, the Apollo 13 lunar landing had already been canceled, and the Apollo 13 crewmembers were in trans-Earth trajectory attempting to bring their crippled spacecraft back home.
Launch record
Explore this mission’s launch, including its vehicle, launch site, payload, and outcome.
Apollo CM-109
launch attemptDeep-space attemptcompletedNo reviewed launch image7 connectionsMission dossier
Flight profile, locations, hardware, and outcome in the same reference format used throughout the archive.
Flight profile
Places and recovery
Mission record
Trajectory profile
4 sourcesFollow the mission from departure through its flight environment, destination, and final phase. This sequence is not a scale orbital plot.
Mission locations
4 sourcesDocumented surface, test, landing, and recovery locations. Map links use the cited place name or exact coordinates; AstronautAtlas does not geocode or estimate missing positions.
Departure or test site
Launch site
Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A
Landing site
Landing site
South Pacific Ocean
Assignment Manifest
The flight crew and the backup team assigned to train for this mission.
Prime crew
3 assignmentsBackup crew
Trained for the mission but did not count as flown unless reassigned to the prime crew.
Mission Purpose
4 sources- Land at Fra Mauro and conduct a geology-focused lunar surface .
- Deploy a scientific experiment package and collect samples from the Fra Mauro formation.
- After the accident, preserve electrical power, water, oxygen, and a safe cabin environment for the return journey.
- Use Aquarius for life support and propulsion, then reactivate Odyssey for a safe .
Planned Flight Plan
4 sources- April 11, 1970
Apollo 13 begins
Odyssey and Aquarius was assigned to Land at Fra Mauro and conduct a geology-focused lunar surface .
- Primary phase
Deploy a scientific experiment package and collect samples from the Fra Mauro formation
Command module: Odyssey (CM-109); Lunar module: Aquarius (LM-7); : Saturn V SA-508
- Mission objective
After the accident, preserve electrical power, water, oxygen, and a safe cabin environment for the return journey
Apollo 13 operated within Apollo to pursue the program objective.
- April 17, 1970
Apollo 13 outcome
Apollo 13 concluded with the recorded status Completed: Apollo 13: Land at Fra Mauro and conduct a geology-focused lunar surface expedition.
Mission Timeline
4 sources- April 11, 1970
Apollo 13 begins
Odyssey and Aquarius began Apollo 13 to Land at Fra Mauro and conduct a geology-focused lunar surface .
Open operation record - Operations
Deploy a scientific experiment package and collect samples from the Fra Mauro formation
Command module: Odyssey (CM-109); Lunar module: Aquarius (LM-7); : Saturn V SA-508
- Defining result
Apollo 13: Land at Fra Mauro and conduct a geology-focused lunar surface expedition
Apollo 13 was intended to land at Fra Mauro but became a life-preservation mission after an oxygen tank exploded in the .
Open operation record - April 17, 1970
Apollo 13: Completed
Use Aquarius for life support and propulsion, then reactivate Odyssey for a safe .
Open operation record