Apollo 13

Apollo 13 liftoff, 11 April 1970

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, at 14:13 EST (19:13 UTC) from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, but the lunar landing was aborted after an oxygen tank exploded two days later, crippling the Service Module (SM) upon which the Command Module (CM) 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. Wikipedia

Learn more about Apollo 13 through historical newspapers from our archives. Explore newspaper articles, headlines, images, and other primary sources below.

Articles and Clippings about Apollo 13

Apollo 13 crew (Lovell, Haise, and Mattingly) are cleared for launch in December 1969 Fri, Dec 12, 1969 – 14 · The Lincoln Star (Lincoln, Lancaster, Nebraska, United States of America) · Newspapers.comNASA trains crew for Apollo 13; moon mission will have greater emphasis on scientific exploration Sun, Dec 14, 1969 – Page 163 · The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, United States of America) · Newspapers.comNewspaper article exploring whether the Apollo 13 moon trip is necessary Sat, Apr 11, 1970 – 13 · Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America) · Newspapers.comPicture of the launch of Apollo 13 on April 11, 1970, at Cape Kennedy Sun, Apr 12, 1970 – 1 · The Morning Call (Allentown, Lehigh, Pennsylvania, United States of America) · Newspapers.comTwo pieces of hardware from Apollo 13 are to crash on the moon to create "moonquakes" Sun, Apr 12, 1970 – Page 6 · The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Orange, Florida, United States of America) · Newspapers.comHeadlines about Apollo 13 disaster: "Imperiled Astronauts Battle to Survive Space Accident" Tue, Apr 14, 1970 – 1 · Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America) · Newspapers.comNewspaper front page reporting on Apollo 13 disaster: "Apollo in Jeopardy" 14 Apr 1970, Tue The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Florida) Newspapers.com"Apollo 13 blast would have been fatal for crew if it happened on return trip" Tue, Apr 14, 1970 – Page 12 · The Town Talk (Alexandria, Rapides, Louisiana, United States of America) · Newspapers.comScientist theorizes that Apollo 13 disaster was caused by small meteorite striking fuel cell Tue, Apr 14, 1970 – 11 · Orlando Evening Star (Orlando, Florida, United States of America) · Newspapers.comWorkers at space center in Houston keep their cool while trying to help Apollo 13 return home Wed, Apr 15, 1970 – Page 4 · The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America) · Newspapers.comExperts at the space center work on techniques for a successful reentry of Apollo 13 Thu, Apr 16, 1970 – Page 1 · The Monroe News-Star (Monroe, Ouachita, Louisiana) · Newspapers.comCartoon expressing hope for Apollo 13 crew's safe return to earth Fri, Apr 17, 1970 – 1 · The Springfield News-Leader (Springfield, Greene, Missouri, United States of America) · Newspapers.comHeadlines announcing Apollo 13's safe return to earth in splashdown in Pacific Fri, Apr 17, 1970 – 1 · The Tampa Times (Tampa, Florida, United States of America) · Newspapers.comNewspaper front page with articles and images about Apollo 13's splashdown on April 17, 1970 17 Apr 1970, Fri The Winona Daily News (Winona, Minnesota) Newspapers.comImage of the three Apollo 13 astronauts who splashed down safety on April 17, 1970 Fri, Apr 17, 1970 – 1 · The Winona Daily News (Winona, Winona, Minnesota, United States of America) · Newspapers.comApollo 13 astronauts exhausted and dehydrated after their 7-day ordeal in space Sat, Apr 18, 1970 – Page 47 · Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, United States of America) · Newspapers.comThe wives of the three Apollo 13 astronauts consider the splashdown to be a "great day" Sat, Apr 18, 1970 – Page 1 · The Ithaca Journal (Ithaca, Tompkins, New York, United States of America) · Newspapers.comNewspaper tells story of Apollo 13 and its crew; Includes photo of Lovell, Swigert, and Haise Sun, Apr 19, 1970 – 2 · The Morning Call (Allentown, Lehigh, Pennsylvania, United States of America) · Newspapers.comNegligence and poor design found to have led to oxygen tank failure that caused Apollo 13 accident Tue, Jun 16, 1970 – 1 · The Times Recorder (Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio, United States of America) · Newspapers.com