Apollo 13 Minute Podcast

Apollo 13 Minute Podcast episodes:

• 08.14.2020

  Minute 135: The End

  Jim Lovell is surrounded by the applauding Iwo Jima crew. TITLE: THE END MUSIC: “Apollo 13 End Credit,  Featuring Annie Lennox” TITLES: CAST Jim Lovell – TOM HANKS Fred Haise – BILL PAXTON Jack Swigert – KEVIN BACON Ken Mattingly – GARY SINISE Gene Kranz – ED HARRIS Marilyn Lovell...

  
• 08.13.2020

  Minute 134: When Will We be Going Back?

  GUEST: NASA ENGINEER STUART MCCLUNG Jim Lovell, narrating from the present day, talks about how Jack Swigert ran for Congress from the state of Colorado, “but he died of cancer before he was able to take office.” On board the Iwo Jima,...

  
• 08.12.2020

  Minute 133: A Successful Failure

  Jim Lovell looks up from the life raft outside the returned Odyssey spacecraft. Later, on the deck of the Iwo Jima, Lovell, Haise, and Swigert exit the helicopter, wearing blue flight suits and sporting Iwo Jima caps. Marilyn and the Lovell family...

  
• 08.11.2020

  Minute 132: This is Apollo 13, Signing Off

  A Navy frogman knocks on the hatch of Odyssey. Jim Lovell gives the frogman a thumbs-up sign, then unstraps Fred Haise from his couch. Haise shakes his hand. Swigert and Lovell then shake hands. “Houston. We’re at Stable One,” radios Lovell. “The...

  
• 08.10.2020

  Minute 131: NAVY 66

  GUEST: NASA CHIEF HISTORIAN BILL BARRY Gene Kranz wipes his eyes and stands up in Mission Control. Over the Pacific, three parachutes lowering the Command Module are lit by the rising sun. Flight crews on the USS Iwo Jima applaud and wave as...

  
• 08.07.2020

  Minute 130: Welcome Home

  GUESTS: ROBIN PERTZ & JOHN OLDHAM, NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER Jay Lovell looks at the classroom clock. It’s 11:56 AM. “Odyssey, Houston,” says Mattingly, “Do you read?” Suddenly on the monitor, three large parachutes appear, with the Command Module swaying in the sky. “Hello,...

  
• 08.06.2020

  Minute 129: Standing By

  GUEST: ACTOR BRETT CULLEN Blanche Lovell watches the television coverage of her son, with Neil Armstrong. Mary Haise sits on a couch and watches the coverage with her son. “We’re about to learn whether or not that heatshield which was damaged, if you...

  
• 08.05.2020

  Minute 128: Do You Read Me?

  GUEST: DR. JOHN DULEMBA, MD, FACOG The Lovell family in Houston, and son Jay Lovell in Wisconsin, continue to follow the coverage of reentry on television. “This is the critical moment,” says Walter Cronkite on television. “Will the heat shield hold? Will...

  
• 08.04.2020

  Minute 127: Standing By for Any Reports

  GUEST: FR. DAVID MOWRY The radio blackout continues through Odyssey’s reentry.  The crew experiences rising G-forces, as Apollo 13 leaves a blazing trail across the pre-dawn sky. On patrol, two Navy helicopters fly low over the Pacific. In the Lovell household, Marilyn Lovell...

  
• 08.03.2020

  Minute 126: Expect to Regain Signal in Three Minutes

  GUEST: NASA’S “IRON FLIGHT” DIRECTOR PAUL DYE Swigert, Haise, and Lovell ponder many thoughts as Odyssey falls into the re-entry corridor over the South Pacific. The heat shield begins to ionize, then blaze as the CM decelerates. Ionized gasses illuminate outside  the left...

  
• 07.31.2020

  Minute 125: Our Finest Hour

  RETRO has informed Gene Kranz that the Command Module’s re-entry path may be shallowing out, but there’s nothing that can be done to change the trajectory. “Then, they don’t need to know, do they?” asks Kranz, re-tying his tie. “Copy that,” replies...

  
• 07.09.2020

  Minute 124: If They’re Not Back in Four

  PAO Henry Hurt is telling a reporter everything that could go wrong with the landing. “Heatshield could be cracked,” says Henry, “and their parachutes might be three blocks of ice. Clearly we have got some obstacles to overcome.” “Yeah, Okay,” says the...

  
• 07.08.2020

  Minute 123: Farewell, Aquarius, and We Thank You

  Aquarius drifts away from the Command Module. “She sure was a good ship,” says Haise, looking out the window. “Farewell, Aquarius. And we thank you,” says Mattingly. Aquarius tilts away from the CM windows. Back on Earth, a woman walks down the hallway...

  
• 07.07.2020

  Minute 122: That’s Good Thinking

  Jack Swigert drifts to the center seat of the CM to look at the battery gauges. “Okay, pyro batts look good,” says Swigert. “I don’t think we have to tie the other batteries.” Jim Lovell floats to the left seat and looks...

  
• 07.06.2020

  Minute 121: Coming up on LM Jettison

  Fred Haise returns to the Command Module. Swigert helps him into the rightmost seat. “Roger that,” says Lovell in the LM. “Here, let me give you a hand there, Freddo,” says Swigert, strapping Haise in. Jim Lovell wipes the frost off the left...

  
• 07.03.2020

  Minute 120: It’s Eighty Degrees Out There

  GUEST: AEROSPACE CAMERMAN ADAM WHITE “Freddo? You okay?” asks Jim Lovell, as they prepare to exit the Lunar Module for the last time. “I’m, uh, I’m freezing,” replies Haise. “Can you hold out just a little longer?” says Lovell. “As long as I have...

  
• 07.02.2020

  Minute 119: Time to Bail Out

  Neil Armstrong asks Blanch Lovell if Jim ever made Eagle Scout. “Yes, he did,” says Blanch. “He did?” says Neil. In the Lovell living room, Marilyn sits with family and friends and her pastor. “If the heatshield is even slightly cracked,” says a news...

  
• 07.01.2020

  Minute 118: One Whole Side of the Spacecraft is Missing

  The detached Service Module rolls away from the Command Module. Jack Swigert floats through the docking tunnel, carrying a camera. “Okay, Houston, our Service Module is free,” says Lovell. “We’re gonna take a look at what we have here.” “Copy that, says Mattingly. “There...

  
• 06.30.2020

  Minute 117: Typhoon Warning

  The crew continues to coordinate the power-up sequence with Mission Control. “Let’s go!” says Flight Director Glynn Lunney. “Take a look at your amps,” says CAPCOM Ken Mattingly. “How’re we doing?” “You got her back up, Ken,” replies Swigert. “Boy, I wish you...

  
• 06.29.2020

  Minute 116: Back in Business

  GUEST: PATRICK MULLANE Jay Lovell watches ABC News Science Reporter Jules Bergman as he sits in a classroom at St. John’s Military Academy in Wisconsin. “…surviving by using the LM’s systems, there can be no easy maneuver,” says Bergman. “And their LM...

  
• 06.26.2020

  Minute 115: BMAG Number Two Power to Warm Up

  “Now, Jack,” says Mattingly. “Yeah, go ahead, Ken,” says Swigert. “Okay, now,” says Mattingly. “Panel Five. Circuit breakers ‘caution and warning’, main B closed.” “Main B closed,” repeats Swigert. “Master alarm off.” “Okay, Jack,” says Mattingly. “On panel Seven, B mag (magazine) number Two,...

  
• 06.25.2020

  Minute 114: A Toaster Through a Car Wash

  Jack Swigert is reluctant to touch the wet control panel. “What’s the word on these things shorting out?” asks Swigert Mattingly looks at John Aaron. Aaron shrugs. “We’ll just take that one at a time, Jack,” says Mattingly. “It’s like trying to drive a...

  
• 06.24.2020

  Minute 113: Are You Boys with the Space Program Too?

  Marilyn Lovell introduces her mother-in-law to two men. “Blanch,” says Marilyn, “These nice young men are gonna watch the television with you. This is Neil Armstrong and this is Buzz Aldrin.” “Nice to meet you,” says Neil Armstrong. “Hi,” says Buzz Aldrin. “Are you...

  
• 06.23.2020

  Minute 112: Are the Flowers Blooming?

  Ken Mattingly, John Young, and John Aaron are walking into the entrance of Mission Control. “My notes are clear on that last sequence, right?” asks Mattingly. “Yeah!” replies Aaron. “You’re from Building Five, right?” asks the guard. “Excuse me, Gentlemen!” shouts John Young, and...

  
• 06.22.2020

  Minute 111: I Think We Got it, Buddy

  In the CM simulator, Ken Mattingly begins a power-up with the new configuration. He turns on the floodlights. “Okay, says Mattingly. “I’m bringing up the guidance. Here we go.” The power needle creeps up from ten amps. “CMC (Command Module Computer) attitude IMU”,...

  
• 05.29.2020

  Minute 110: Four Amps

  The CM simulator guys are discussing the LM power umbilical. “Right,” says John Young. “It’s back-up for the LM power supply.” “I’m listening,” says John Aaron. “So,” says Ken Mattingly, “Reverse it. Reverse the flow and see if we can draw these four...

  
• 05.28.2020

  Minute 109: What’s the Story?

  “Jim, this is Deke,” says Slayton. “It’s Deke,” says Haise to Swigert, who doesn’t have a headset to hear the transmission. “They don’t know how to do it,” says Swigert. “Maybe, Jack’s right,” says Haise to Lovell. “Hello there, Deke, what’s the story?” asks...

  
• 05.27.2020

  Minute 108: Getting Awfully Big in the Window

  In the LM, Jack Swigert asks Fred Haise how he’s doing. “I’m okay,” replies Haise. An sudden explosion rumbles near the LM. “What the hell was that?” says Swigert. “Let’s hope it was just the (helium) burst disk,” says Lovell. He presses the mic...

  
• 05.26.2020

  Minute 107: To Lead You Home

  Jim Lovell, in a pre-recorded interview, remembers a time when he lost his way over the Sea of Japan at night, in a malfunctioning aircraft. Marilyn Lovell watches the interview in the Lovell living room on TV. ABC Science Reporter Jules...

  
• 05.25.2020

  Minute 106: The Shangri-La in the Sea of Japan

  Still missing power for the re-entry sequence in the simulator control room, John Aaron turns to backup commander John Young. “I don’t know where in the hell we’re going to find it,” says Aaron. Meanwhile, on a televsion in the Lovell home,...

  
• 05.15.2020

  Minute 105: Clear the Board

  Gene Kranz is happy the engineers have given the astronauts enough power to survive till re-entry. “Well done,” says Kranz. “Now we gotta get them in. Tell me about the power procedures.” In the Command Module simulator, Ken Mattingly works with John...

  
• 05.13.2020

  Minute 104: Shutdown

  Jim Lovell is piloting the LM’s mid-course correction. “That’s me around,” says Lovell. “A little more,” says Haise. “Come on, baby.” “Come on. That’s it,” says Lovell. “Hold it. Damn it!” Swigert is counting the final ten seconds of the burn. “5, 6, 7…” “Back,...

  
• 05.13.2020

  Minute 103: Ignition

  Swigert continues the countdown. “7, 6, 5, 4…” Lovell sticks his slippers onto the Velcro-lined floor pad. Haise knocks the -X RCS motors “Ullage is go,” says Haise. “…3, 2, 1,” finishes Swigert. “Ignition,” says Lovell, and the LM descent engine fires up. “She’s...

  
• 05.12.2020

  Minute 102: Ten Percent Thrust for Thirty Nine Seconds

  In the Lunar Module, the astronauts prepare for the course correction. “Okay, this gonna take all three of us,” says Lovell. “Freddo, you handle the pitch. But on the translation controllers all backwards so if the… the Earth starts drifting down...

  
• 05.11.2020

  Minute 101: If This Basketball were the Earth

  A news anchor is explaining the mid-course correction on the air. “In order to enter the atmosphere safely,” says the news anchor, “the crew must aim for a corridor just two and a half degrees wide. If they’re too steep, they...

  
• 05.08.2020

  Minute 100: Earth in the Window

  “Now, come on,” says Gene. “We gotta be able to give these guys something up there.” “Without power, we can’t give them a read,” replies GUIDO. “I’m not talking about power,” says Kranz, “I’m talking about reference.” “No, no. There’s no references, ”...

  
• 05.07.2020

  Minute 099: Without the Computer

  FIDO explains, “We need another burn to get them back in the entry corridor.” “Definitely another burn,” agrees GNC. “Another burn,” says Kranz. “Fire the engines and get them on course,” says FIDO. “Copy that,” says Gene Kranz. Onboard Aquarius, Jim Lovell examines a frozen...

  
• 05.06.2020

  Minute 098: A Little Medical Mutiny

  GUEST: SPACE HIPSTER EMILY CARNEY “Okay, Jim. Copy that,” replies the CAPCOM, after Lovell informs Mission Control that he’s no longer wearing his sensors. Swigert and Haise follow suit, disconnecting their sensors.  In Mission Control, the Flight Surgeon’s screen shows three flat...

  
• 05.05.2020

  Minute 097: Sick and Tired

  CAPCOM tells Swigert that President Nixon has granted an income tax extension for him, since Jack is most decidedly “out of the country.” “Roger that, Houston. That’s wonderful news,” replies Swigert. In Mission Control, the Flight Surgeon has advice for Gene Kranz. “Tell...

  
• 05.04.2020

  Minute 096: My Jimmy Could Land It

  Blanch Lovell is talking to her granddaughter, Susan. “Well, don’t you worry, honey,” says Blanche. “If they could get a washing machine to fly, my Jimmy could land it.” Onboard Aquarius, the cassette player is losing power. “BLUE MOON,” performed by The...

  
• 05.01.2020

  Minute 095: Are You Scared?

  Marilyn, Susan, and Barbara Lovell are visiting Jim Lovell’s mother, Blanch, at the nursing home. “I was gonna see Jimmy,” says Blanch, pointing at the TV. “I know,” says Marilyn. “I know. We came to tell you something. There’s been an accident....

  
• 04.30.2020

  Minute 094: Hi Grandma

  Everyone in Mission Control is relieved that the CO2 scrubber improvisation is working. Back in the Command Module simulator, Ken Mattingly is piecing together a reentry sequence power-up. “Okay, spacecraft control to computer,” says Mattingly. A Master Alarm lights up as the ammeter...

  
• 04.29.2020

  Minute 093: Just Breathe Normal, Fellas

  The makeshift CO2 scrubber has been attached to the LM. Lovell looks at Swigert and Haise. “Just breathe normal, fellas,” he says to them. “Aquarius, please advise on CO2 status,” says CAPCOM. ” Yeah, Houston,” says Lovell. “We’re taking a look at those...

  
• 04.28.2020

  Minute 092: I Can Hear Air Moving

  Swigert watches Haise and Lovell assembling the CO2 scrubber. Meanwhile, in the Haise household, Mary Haise sits with several children and family and friends. ABC’s Jules Bergman is reporting on television. “As most of you are aware,” says Bergman, “there is no...

  
• 04.27.2020

  Minute 091: If Anything More Goes Wrong

  A news anchor explains that the CO2 scrubbers “are quickly becoming saturated.” On board Aquarius, Jim Lovell coughs as he helps assemble the makeshift scrubber. Fred looks at a rip in one of the bags. “Sh-t, I tore it,” says Haise. “Sh-t,” echoes...

  
• 04.24.2020

  Minute 090: A Good Arm Length

  Andy, the CAPCOM, continues explaining the construction of the carbon dioxide scrubber to the crew. “Canisters, I’m sorry,” says Andy. “A roll of gray tape.” “Duct tape,” corrects the technician. “The duct tape,” repeats Andy. “You need an LCG (Liquid-Cooled Garment) bag, two...

  
• 04.23.2020

  Minute 089: Rip the Cover Off

  Swigert looks at Haise and Lovell, after hearing that the CO2 use was only calculated for two astronauts. “Maybe I should just hold my breath,” says Swigert. Back in Houston, the engineers have devised a carbon dioxide scrubber adapter. A television blares...

  
• 04.22.2020

  Minute 088: Check your CO2 Gauge

  Swigert, Lovell, and Haise are having a loud discussion. “I just asked you what the gauge was reading!” says Haise “All right,” begins Lovell. “And you don’t know!” yells Haise. “All right,” says Lovell, “we’re not doing this, gentlemen! We’re not gonna do this....

  
• 04.21.2020

  Minute 087: They Brought Me Here to Do a Job

  Lovell, Haise, and Swigert are in the Lunar Module. Swigert is expressing his concerns. “You think they would tell us?” asks Swigert. “There’s no reason for them to tell us!” “What you mean they’re not gonna tell us?” replies Haise. “That’s bullsh–!” “All...

  
• 04.20.2020

  Minute 086: Too Much Delta-V

  Haise and Lovell are laughing about Haise’s symptoms. “That’s another first for America’s space program,” says Lovell. “Listen,” says Haise, “um, I’ve been going over some stuff, and I’m a little worried about this cold affecting our battery efficiency. See. we quit...