Apollo 13
The Apollo 13 was NASA’s seventh Apollo space mission
taking human beings into the
outer space. The launch of the Apollo 13 space
craft took place at the Kennedy Space center on 11th April 1970. On the second day
of the mission the service module was crippled by an explosion of the second
oxygen tank. As a result the mission was aborted and the crew working in
conjunction with the astronauts back on earth maneuvered strategically to
safely return to earth. The team had to overcome insurmountable hardships
occasioned by loss of power and water, lack of proper food and the freezing
condition inside the space ship to land successfully on earth, that the mission
was dubbed a successful failure. The Apollo 13 has been turned into a
successful film and presents lots of great teachings on surviving a crisis. The
following are the vital inner teachings drawn from the Apollo 13 mission. The
first lesson learned from the Apollo 13 mission is prioritizing and
communication in a crisis. After the second oxygen tank exploded the priority was
to return the crew safely yo earth. Thus the projected lunar landing was
quickly abandoned and every effort was concentrated on the safe return of the
crew to the earth. Without prioritizing activities and effective communication this
would not have been possible.
The Apollo 13 mission to the moon may have been the
most miraculous event in history. Not only were the astronauts able to make it
through any obstacle they faced, but they used their intellect in every
situation. Set in the 1960’s, the Americans were still dreaming of landing on
the moon. Although it had already been done by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin,
NASA wanted to do it again. Piloted by Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred
Haise, the story of Apollo 13 was very interesting.
In order for the crew to safely survive in space, they
had hours of simulations and other preparations. If one thing went wrong, the
whole mission could be ruined and the crew could be killed. For months before
the launch, they’re forced to go into the simulation, where they’re faced with
dealing with many different problems. If the astronauts didn’t solve the
problem in time, they would have to keep trying until they finally mastered.
Any situation that NASA could think of, the crew would have to handle it, no
matter how tough it may have been.
Finally, the day of the launch came. Once the
astronauts were fully prepared to head to space, they would review their
training and go to the launch site. Once they’re all ready inside the spaceship,
they’re given sixty seconds before blast off. During that time, the crew made
sure everything in the ship was set. If something was wrong, they would report
it to NASA, and depending on how important it is, the mission may have to be
aborted. But, since everything was alright, the launch continued on and the
crew went to space.
After getting through all the phases of getting
through space, such as releasing certain parts of the shuttle and preparing
their landing craft, they realize something’s wrong. Their oxygen tanks
exploded! Knowing that the one problem can cause numerous others in the system,
they’re forced to shut off the main power of the shuttle. To add on to the fact
that they’re running low on oxygen, the find out there’s too much carbon dioxide
in the ship. After solving that with an oxygen scrubber, they’re informed that
they’re not lined up perfectly with the earth. After carefully aligning
themselves, they’re able to land safely back on earth.
Even though Apollo 13 never made it to the moon, the
event still made history. No matter what the astronauts were faced with, they
were able to overcome it, which can teach you that even when you think
something’s impossible, you still get through it. And sometimes,
teamwork can
be the answer to everything.
