Officials learn that the storm surge from Katrina has breached New Orleans’s levees, allowing water to pour into the city. Soon, 80 percent of New Orleans is underwater. Many residents become trapped in their homes, and are forced to climb into their attics and onto rooftops, as their neighborhoods flood. With the power out and phone service down, the local and federal government struggle to mount relief efforts, leaving thousands of people to fend for themselves without food, drinking water, or adequate medical care.

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It’s late August 2005, and the city of New Orleans makes preparations for the arrival of Hurricane Katrina. But after decades of hurricanes missing the city, many residents are confident they can ride out the storm. By the time Mayor Ray Nagin orders the first mandatory evacuation in New Orleans history, it’s too late for some to leave.

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Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert went through the ordeal of their lives on the Apollo 13 Mission. But the people manning Houston’s Mission Control faced their own challenges as they figured out how to bring the astronauts home safe. Former NASA Flight Director Gerry Griffin was in that room, more than 50 years ago. He joins Host Mike Corey to share his experiences steering the mission from the ground, and what it was like to advise director Ron Howard on the movie, Apollo 13.

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Six days into their mission, the Apollo 13 astronauts have been working under immense pressure and on very little sleep. Tempers grow short as they battle with Mission Control in Houston over what steps to take for their biggest challenge yet: reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.

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The three astronauts on the crippled Apollo 13 spacecraft round the Moon and finally begin the return leg of their journey toward Earth. But their troubles are far from over. They still have to strictly ration the amount of power they’re using, so they have enough remaining for the all-important reentry procedure. They also must execute a series of precise “burns”—firing their rockets at just the right instant to get them back on a trajectory to Earth. One small mistake could send them hurtling into deep space, never to return.

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The three astronauts aboard the Apollo 13 spacecraft have retreated into the cramped lunar

module, the only part of the spacecraft that’s still fully functioning. Back on Earth, NASA’s Mission Control sets up an elite team of engineers—the Tiger Team—to figure out how to stretch the spacecraft’s dwindling water, heat, and power over the perilous, days-long journey back to Earth.

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After an explosion cripples the Apollo 13 spacecraft, NASA’s Mission Control in Houston scrambles to come up with a plan to save the crew. Step one involves stabilizing Apollo 13 to preserve as much precious air, water, and power as possible. Step two involves figuring out a flight plan to get the three astronauts back home as soon as possible.

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On April 11th, 1970, NASA launched Apollo 13, its third manned mission to the Moon. But two days into its journey, an explosion wiped out a major source of oxygen, limiting the ship’s water and power supplies. The three astronauts onboard found themselves stranded in a crippled spacecraft 200,000 miles from Earth, while their families—and the entire nation—watched helplessly from the ground.

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On May 22, 2018, Claire Nelson set out on what she thought would be a four-hour hike in Southern California’s Joshua Tree National Park. An experienced hiker, Claire packed plenty of water and followed an established trail in a park visited by millions of people each year. But after taking a wrong turn, she slipped off a boulder and shattered her pelvis. Injured and exposed to the elements, she found herself alone in the desert in a fight for her life. On this special episode, Claire Nelson joins the show to narrate her four-day odyssey of survival.

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In a final attempt to escape the Andes, Nando and Roberto have headed east to pursue safety. The men face a difficult journey as the weather takes a turn for the worst, and their food supply dwindles. Back at the fuselage, their teammates wait for rescuers to arrive. The remaining survivors have accepted their fate: they're all doomed if the two men don't find civilization. There is only one option left. Roberto and Nando must survive their hike out through one of the largest mountain ranges in the world.

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