By Now, for me, the way coolest thing in the Cosmosphere was this:
The Odyssey. The Apollo 13 Command Module.
Yes!
OK, before going to a place, I seldom do research. I like being taken by surprise. Now, I had heard that the Liberty Bell 7 capsule, flown by Gus Grissom, was in the museum after having spent 38 years on the ocean floor. Cool, of course.
But I didn’t know that the Apollo 13 Command Module was in the museum! Seeing it took my breath away.
I’m sure you know/remember the story of Apollo 13. If you don’t – my gosh – you have to rent the movie of the same name. (Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris)
I was in fifth grade (1970) when Apollo 13’s scary adventure took place. One of my favorite things about grade school was being taken to the lunchroom/auditorium to watch films – about caterpillars or lions or meteorology. As we sat down in the auditorium one day about to watch another film, just before she turned off the lights, one of the teachers asked us to pray for the lives of the Apollo 13 astronauts. I remember feeling the chill of knowing that those three astronauts might not return to earth.
It was a huge event for the country, for the world, the returning of these three men from certain death.
Around the corner from the Odyssey – yes, the actual Command Module of Apollo 13, is a video screen which plays parts of the Apollo 13 movie.
In one moment that I watched on Saturday, some guy told Gene Krantz (played by Ed Harris) that the mission would likely turn out to be NASA’s biggest disaster.
“With all due respect, sir,” Krantz replied, “I believe this will be our finest hour.”
Amen.
***
What are your memories of the Apollo 13 drama – or of the ’60s-’70s space program in general?
Please share.
I remember the first time a US spacecraft orbited the moon because there was a communication blackout when the astronauts were “behind” the moon. Krantz or one of the others said “now we are out of touch with them and have to wait until they come back around.” Or words to that effect.
The tense moment lasted something like ten minutes and I was watching all this on a black and white TV.
I am SO old that I even remember “spudnik!” I do remember watching all those early space pioneers–brave and wonderful people! I even applied to be the “teacher in space”–I really really wanted to go! (along with a few million others!)