1. WRITTEN BY DONALD LEMKE
ILLUSTRATED BY KEITH TUCKER
Book Trailer by Amy Grout
Saint Leo University

2. “Houston, we
have a problem.”
Jim Lovell

3. NASA Director: This could be the worst problem
NASA’s ever face.
Gene Kranz: With all due respect, sir, I believe this
is going to be our finest hour.

4. “Gentlemen, it’s
been a privilege
flying with you.”
Jim Lovell

5. For most people, landing on the moon was a fantasy. However,
the men and women at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space
Agency) believed it could be done. On July 20,1969, Apollo 11
landed on the moon. In November of 1969, Apollo 12 did as well.
On April 11, 1970, Commander Jim Lovell and his crew planned to
repeat history. Each member of the crew knew that they would
be making history when they stepped out onto the moon’s
surface.
The crew of Apollo 13 DID make history…but not for the reason
they expected.

6. Commander John Lovell, along with crew members
Fred Haise and Jack Swigert boarded the command
module, Odyssey, to fly the Apollo 13 misson.

7. On April 13, two days
after lift-off from
Kennedy Space Center
in Florida, a loud
explosion shook the
Odyssey. Commander
Lovell immediately
contacted mission
control in Houston.

8. After looking out the
window, Lovell
reported that the
command module
was venting some
type of gas. They
quickly discovered it
was oxygen leaking
from the rocket.

9. In Houston, Flight
Control faced the
horrible truth that the
astronauts would run
out of oxygen, making
it impossible for them
to breathe.

10. Most Americans tuned in to watch
the live broadcast. People feared
the worst. Once the astronauts
began their reentry into Earth’s
atmosphere, all radio
communications would stop
working. They were expected to be
out of communication for three
minutes. Four and a half minutes
later, there was still no word from
the astronauts. No one knew if
they had survived or if the
spacecraft had burned up during
reentry.

11. To find out what happened and learn more
about the mission, check out The Apollo 13
Mission – a graphic novel by Donald Lemke.