The Apollo 13 mission lives on in the memories of many for what went wrong on its way to the Moon. An explosion on board forced Apollo 13 to circle the Moon without landing. Failure was not an option however, and the crew aboard solved the issue and managed to make it safely back to Earth.

Fred Haise, one of the Apollo 13 astronauts, will speak on his experiences in space Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. EDT in NASA Langley Research Center’s Pearl Young Theater as part of the center’s Colloquium Series. He will also give a similar talk at 7:30 p.m. EDT at the Virginia Air and Space Center as part of the Sigma Series of lectures.

Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the Apollo space program and the third intended to land on the Moon. The craft was launched on April 11, 1970 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but the lunar landing was aborted after an oxygen tank exploded two days later, crippling the service module upon which the command module had depended. Despite great hardship caused by limited power, loss of cabin heat, shortage of potable water, and the critical need to make makeshift repairs to the carbon dioxide removal system, the crew returned safely to Earth on April 17, 1970, six days after launch. This mission was dramatized in the 1995 Hollywood movie ”Apollo 13.” Haise flew as the Lunar Module Pilot, and he will discuss his experiences as an Apollo astronaut and Apollo 13 crew member.

Haise had a 20-year NASA career which included serving as an Aeronautics Research Pilot at Lewis Research Center in 1959, a research pilot at the NASA Flight Research Center in 1963, and as an astronaut at Johnson Space Center starting in 1966. In addition to Apollo, he flew five flights as the commander of the Space Shuttle Enterprise in 1977 for the Approach and Landing Test Program at Edwards Air Force Base.

In the 1950s, Haise served as a U.S. Marine Corps Fighter Pilot, and he has logged 9,100 hours of flying time in over 80 types of aircraft. After leaving NASA, Haise served as president of Northrop Grumman Technical Services until retiring in 1996. He has received numerous awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Society of Experimental Test Pilots Kinchloe Test Pilot of the Year Award, the NASA Distinguished Service and Exceptional Service Medals, the Aerospace Walk of Honor, and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.

Langley’s Colloquium and Sigma lectures provide monthly talks and demonstrations related to science and technology. The lectures are intended to stimulate the creative processes of Langley employees and enhance the quality of life at Langley by providing more opportunities for learning.

The Sigma Series talk is free and open to the public. The lecture at Langley limited to employees, but will be open to news media. Media wishing to attend the Langley lecture should contact April Phillips at 757-864-9912 or at april.k.phillips@nasa.gov by noon EDT Monday, Sept. 30.

For more information about Langley’s Colloquium and Sigma Series Lectures, visit:

http://colloqsigma.larc.nasa.gov

To learn more about the Apollo 13 mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo13.html