Forty-three years ago today, the Apollo 13 spacecraft splashed down into the Pacific Ocean following one of the most remarkable recovery missions in space history.
Inside was mission commander Jim Lovell, 42, lunar module pilot Fred Haise, 36, and commander module pilot Jack Swigert, 38.
Apollo 13, which blasted into space on April 11, 1970, was supposed to land on the moon. But an explosion in one part of the spacecraft less than three days after launch forced NASA to abort the mission.
The mission is still considered a "successful failure" because the three astronauts returned to Earth safely.
Around 47 hours into the mission, everything seems to be running smoothly. "The spacecraft is in real good shape as far as we are concerned. We're bored to tears down here," Capsule communicator Joe Kerwin says.
About 9 hours later, the crew finishes a television broadcast showing how they live on the spacecraft in zero gravity. Lovell signs off: "This is the crew of Apollo 13 wishing everybody there a nice evening, and we're just about ready to close out our inspection of Aquarius and get back for a pleasant evening in Odyssey. Good night."
A few minutes after the broadcast wraps, ground control asks Swigert to perform a routine procedure called a cryo-stir. This involves switching on fans to stir oxygen inside two tanks in the service module, which prevents the liquid oxygen from settling into layers.
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