...Apollo 13 Directed by: Ron Howard “Hello, Houston. This is Odyssey. It's good to see you again.” These were the words Jim Lovell said as he splashed down into the Pacific Ocean after spending 8 days in a freezing hell. Stuck in the confined quarters of the Apollo 13, those words were the embodiment of achieving your goals through determination. During the flight there were more displays of determination than I could possibly cover, so I am going to write about the three that stuck out to me the most. Jack Swigert was the one docking and flying the shuttle and didn't want to leave any room for error in his skills. Ken Mattingly, spent hours upon hours getting the boot sequence for the computer right so they could correct the shuttle path. Last but certainly not least the engineers building a CO2 filter out of spare parts without any proper tools. Jack Swigert was moved up from back up crew to main crew after Ken Mattingly got the measles. He was just as trained as the other guys but they weren't a team. Everyone was a little sceptical about his skills because they had never flown with him and had had Mattingly as a pilot for a very long time. Swigert was doing a routine docking simulation when the people running it threw some engine failures at him without giving him a warning light, but he recuperated quickly and pulled off the manoeuvre flawlessly. Coming off of this success and being accepted by your new crew mates most people would be on top of the world...
Words: 850 - Pages: 4
..."A 'successful failure' describes exactly what 13 was - because it was a failure in its initial mission -- nothing had really been accomplished," Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 told Reuters Television in an exclusive interview. But he claimed the mission, which had taken hold the world in April 1970, as "a great success in the ability of people to take an almost certain catastrophe and turn it into a successful recovery." At the time of the oxygen-tank explosion two days into the mission, Lovell, Haise and fellow astronaut Jack Swigert were not fully aware of the seriousness of their situation. "Well, when the explosion occurred and we sort of found out and assessed on our own that we weren't going to land on the moon, the first thoughts were one of disappointment," said Lovell. "We didn't realize the significance or the danger." But soon Lovell realized that so much of the spacecraft was totally useless and he spoke to mission control at the Johnson Space Center in Texas those now-famous words: "Houston, we've had a problem." "The two fuel cells, or the three fuel cells, failed," Lovell said. "The two oxygen tanks failed. We lost communication. We lost the use of our computer for a while. And consequently we had never really practiced for that." For five days, the crew of Apollo 13 and mission specialists on the ground dealt with problem upon problem, shorting of food and water, dealing with a loss of heat and even using the Lunar Module as a so-called "life boat"...
Words: 341 - Pages: 2
...June 24, 2015 NRF * Rank order (in order of priority) the 14 core capabilities of the NRF. Explain why you rank ordered 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Be specific. * Explain how the United States conducts an all-hazards response in the five preparedness mission areas of prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and disaster recovery. NIMS * When would a Deputy Incident Commander (Deputy IC) be necessary? Give examples. * In The missing piece of NIMS: Teaching incident commanders how to function in the edge of Chaos, the author notes that first responders have to deal with a disaster situation already unfolding, and not “all the pieces fit together nicely.” The author writes about the Five Tenets of Working in Chaos. Please paraphrase each one using your own words. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a master plan for departments and agencies of all levels of government, nongovernment and private sector agencies to work together to handle an event, natural disaster or man-made terrorist attack regardless of scope, reason, or location.3 The NIMS is the heart of the National Preparedness System (NPS) which is a collection of frameworks created to make the handling of disasters uniform. Emergency management personnel trained in NIMS will handle a terrorist attack in Washington, D.C. the same way that an Incident Commander is handling a massive hurricane on the Gulf Coast. Any disaster has an inherent level of chaos from the very beginning...
Words: 2105 - Pages: 9
...The Apollo 13 mission was a failure. The astronauts got home, but landed in the middle of nowhere. The astronauts lived, but they had several near death experiences. The astronauts didn’t die, but NASA spent over 1 million dollars from taxpayers on a failed mission. Therefore, Apollo 13 mission was a failure. At the time on the spacecraft the atmosphere was very tense. The text proves that the problems were serious. “...Oxygen tank No. 2 blew up causing No. 1 tank to also fail....one oxygen tank appeared to be completely empty, and there were indications that the oxygen in the second tank was rapidly being depleted.” This evidence points out that the there were too many problems. For example, they were quickly losing resources that are essential...
Words: 305 - Pages: 2
...Throughout the Movie Apollo 13, the stages of group development were applied. Forming the first stage of group development. Was prevalent early in the movie when the crew first found out that they were supposed to be on the Apollo 13 mission there was a bit of confusion among the crew and their families. The crew had to work with each other and learn each others strengths and weaknesses, this was most noticeably displayed while the crew was practicing in the flight simulator. Not long after the initial formation of the group pilot Ken mattingly was forced to be removed from the crew due to possible medical problems, he was replaced by Jack Swigert. This reform caused a setback and the crew had to relearn each others strength and weaknesses. Storming , the second stage of group development, really began after the crew had successfully launched into space and then began having problems. The storming began when one of the engines went out forcing the crew to continue with only 4. Not long after that the connection on one of the oxygen tanks had burst. Which caused a landslid of other problems for th crew. The crew began getting frustrated and started blaming each other for the problems that were happening. Jack Swigert seemed to get the most of this blame. The Crew eventually collected themselves and began the process of Norming. Instead of continuing...
Words: 459 - Pages: 2
...Apollo 13 - Film Review Relation to Effective Teams Team Wind Working in Groups and Teams LOS 3150 RJ Graham May 8, 2009 When facing issues, conflicts, and the attainment of goals having the resources of a fully functional and focused team are irreplaceable. A team that has clear goals and strategies in place is more likely to succeed even when faced with the greatest types of adversity. In the movie, Apollo 13, the cast of characters is faced with achieving a goal under severe pressure and numerous problems, that if not successfully attained will cost people their lives. [1] The organization had a common goal that was securely set in the minds of each team member and each member was well aware of what failure could ultimately cost the entire organization. Even under this tremendous pressure filled climate, the team was able to use different types of decision making techniques in order to be effective in solving the issue facing them. While the movie was of course dramatized to reach audiences, it was based on a true story. This gives the emotions, personal interaction and problem solving techniques projected by the film a strong basis as to how teams should aspire to function in today’s environment. The background of the team ultimately began with the competition between the U.S. and Russia and their space exploration programs. The Apollo 13 mission was at this point a routine trip to the moon. U.S. astronauts had completed a mission to the moon one...
Words: 2866 - Pages: 12
...Apollo 13; Inner Teachings Lusalu Daniel Academic writers Online The Apollo 13 is 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 on 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 (Shayler, 2013). 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 on 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 (Holden, 2012). Training is mandatory for every mission...
Words: 515 - Pages: 3
...Julia Teahen 3/28/16 Provide a brief summary of the movie you chose. Be sure to provide a description of each major character, their leadership style, and why you believe they were important to the story. Brief Summary Movie-APOLLO 13 NASA’s Apollo 13 mission was a mission to the moon, but because of mechanical problems the Apollo 13 not only failed to reach the moon, it was almost lost. The Apollo 13" mission showed men solving problems with their intelligence, their skill sets, bravery and most of all teamwork. This mission raised issues of loyalty for the individual against the loyalty of the team as a whole. It represented how the success of the mission became more important than the need of the one. Ken Mattingly one of the astronauts that was supposed to be on the Apollo 13 mission but was cut for a “maybe” health issue, played the role of the person who saved the mission. He showed that even with bad luck that prevented him from being on the mission, means even if you are not on the first team, you can still play the most important in saving the mission and become a hero. Each astronaut, was a positive male role model in their own right. (NASA, 2016). Major Characters Jim Lovell: Apollo 13 commander, was the world’s most traveled astronaut. He participated in three mission and had 572 hours of spaceflight experience. He demonstrated transformational leadership qualities. His leadership skills caused positive changes in his crew and pushed...
Words: 2718 - Pages: 11
...Synopsis: Set 20 years from now, Andy Weir’s bestselling novel ‘The Martian’ follows the comedic botanist and now-astronaut Mark Watney as his mission on the planet Mars goes awry and his 5 crewmates evacuate after a severe storm. Debris slams into Mark and his suit is punctured, so they decide to abandon him behind, assumed dead. But luckily enough, a series of events lead to Mark’s survival against all the odds Mars could throw at him. Personal Response: The Martian is a believable novel dense with scientific explanation but with no shortage of hilarious quips and witty dialogue. Developing the plot of Mark’s Martian mission of survival, I can best describe Andy’s work as a slow escalation to a gripping climax. An insightful look at the culture and day-to-day of a botanist/engineer on Mars, there is a lot to learn about such activities like how to cultivate potatoes, reduce urine into rocket fuel and trick out a rover to go on 32-thousand kilometre journeys. The other story told is from NASA’s perspective, as they take every chance they get to establish contact with Watney, but spend the rest of their time micro-managing his procedures to live long enough for rescue. The most predominant theme I read in The Martian was Isolation. In the novel, the record of being the first and only person stranded alone on an entire planet is held by Mark Watney, separated from everyone and everything he loves. Although forced to endure over 17 months on Mars with all the challenges of space...
Words: 499 - Pages: 2
...Ron Howard’s 1995 space docudrama, Apollo 13, narrates the events of America’s third attempted moon landing mission through the perspective of astronaut Jim Lovell, portrayed by Tom Hanks. The film also depicts astronauts Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, portrayed by Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton respectively. The plot follows their journey leading up to the launch, details their successes and failures on-board such as the explosion that nearly cost them their lives, and explains the aftermath. Apollo 13 deservingly earned nine Academy Award nominations, and took home two awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound. Overall, the film remained faithful to the actual events of the seventh Apollo space program mission. However, it is not completely without flaws. Despite a few minor changes and exaggerations, Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 remains faithful to the events that took place during the space mission....
Words: 695 - Pages: 3
...Many people believe that the number 13 is an unlucky number but the space program didn’t depend on luck. There were many American astronauts that went to the moon in Apollo 11 and 12. The mission began on April 11, 1997 Apollo 13 lifted off at 2:13pm from the launch pad in Cape Kennedy in Florida. It was an hour earlier at mission control in Houston (Cole 5). Lovell and Haise were supposed to land on the moon in an area named the Fra Mauro uplands. The Fra Mauro uplands were the site of a huge meteor crater near the moons equator. They were trying to see if that meteor millions of years ago had blew samples out of the moons insides. They wanted to get samples of the moon. Earth’s orbit had to put on a route to make it to the moon in three days (Cole 6-8). For the next two days the flight was going along very well then suddenly they heard a very loud bang on the spacecraft. The oxygen in the tanks was also used to react with hydrogen in the ships fuel cells. The energy produced by this chemical reaction within the fuel cells which provided all the electrical power in the craft 2 out of 3 fuel cells had shutdown. Mission control was working on the plan to get them down safely (Cole 10-12). Mission control realized that there must be oxygen leaving from the spacecraft. This escaping gas was causing enough power to push Apollo 13 off the route. Engineers began calculating course correction that would have been made later...
Words: 533 - Pages: 3
...Woodhouse 1 Kevin Woodhouse Mrs. DeWitt College Comp. 26/3/15 Determination The film, Apollo 13, is based on the real life crisis that occurred April 13, 1970, on board the Apollo spacecraft. After spending eight days in the freezing confinement of the Apollo 13 space capsule Jim Lovell and his crew members, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert, splashed down into the Pacific Ocean. This team achieved their goals through several adverse conditions. The survival of these three is the embodiment of achieving goals through determination. Determination is expressed through each character throughout the suspenseful film. Jack Swigert had the job of docking and flying the shuttle and did not want to leave any room for error in his skills. Ken Mattingly spent hours and hours working on the flight simulator to assure a safe return. The NASA team of engineers had to work together to come up with a device to filter CO2 made from spare parts found on the shuttle. Jack Swigert was moved up from backup crew to main crew after Ken Mattingly was exposed to the measles virus and was unable to gear up for the flight. Swigert had a lot of experience but did not have the same connection to the team as Mattingly had. Swigert was determined to carry out the flight despite those who were skeptical about Woodhouse 2 his skills. He spent endless hours perfecting the take off and flight functions and gained the trust of his crew members. Resulting in a successful launch. Despite the error...
Words: 547 - Pages: 3
...If you have seen Apollo 13, you know that a man named Jim Lovell and his crew were miraculously brought back to Earth after relentless efforts of crew and mission control. What were even the points of sending this crew out into space? As many assumed, and as answered in the following quote by the man, Jim Lovell, himself, it was to win: “As many would have assumed, and as Apollo 13 was actually going to be the first scientific Apollo flight. If you remember, there was a great space race between the Russians and ourselves. It started out in 1961 when Kennedy said we'd put a man on the Moon. This was a technical challenge, not so much of a scientific expedition. So 11 was successful. And just to prove that we could do it, because there were...
Words: 575 - Pages: 3
...History Era’s Project 1970-1990- April 11, 1970, three people was sent to the moon called the “Apollo 13 Mission.” James Lovell, John Swigert, and Fred Haise went to the moon for a mission. April 13 things started going wrong. Their second oxygen tank exploded, electricity went out, and they had no more water. Houston then began to make a plan where they could get the astronauts back safely. The crew got supplies and power somehow to come back the Earth safely, even if it did mean landing in the ocean. April 17 they came back landing in the Pacific Ocean. In the 1980’s Ronald Reagan was the President. Also someone had shot Reagan but he survived that failed assassination. People loved television and video games back then until the war came...
Words: 1480 - Pages: 6
...Apollo 13 Essay Apollo 13 was one of the most terrifying and suspenseful events that happened in history. Directors and authors try their best to create an environment where the reader or viewer can feel they were there when it happened. The author or director creates suspense in many ways. In text the author may use descriptions, vivid verbs, phrases that cause fear, and frightening facts. In movies, directors can create suspense by using music, different angles with camera shots, lighting, and characters emotions. In the book “The Race to Save Apollo 13” the author Michael Useem created suspense in multiple ways. One of those ways he created suspense was the phrases that would cause fear. One of the phrases is when Kranz was on the phone with Chris Kraft “…It seems there’s been an explosion.” This phrase creates suspense because it’s not specifically telling the reader what happened. It also makes the reader wonder what will happen next. In the movie, Apollo 13 directed by Ron Howard, there are different ways of how suspense was created. When astronaut Lovell tells Houston “there is something leaking into space”, the director used camera angles to create suspense. Ron Howard, the director, used a camera shot that showed the oxygen leaking into space. This makes the viewer be on the edge of their seat because they will want to know what will happen next. At both of these parts the author and director used different techniques to keep drawling in their audience. Another example...
Words: 787 - Pages: 4
