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Films >> Apollo 13 (1995) >>

0:00:00
Key passages taken from the script available at Screenplays for You.
0:04:44 Neil Armstrong walking on moon
Marilyn Lovell: “There he is! There he is! Everybody quiet down! There he is! There he is!”
Jim Lovell: “Hey! Kids!”
The room quiets down as everybody is focused on the fuzzy black-and-white TV image of the LM's ladder.
Buzz Aldrin (on TV): “You got a good picture, huh?”
Buzz Aldrin (on TV): “Okay. Will you verify the position - the opening - I ought to have on the camera?”
Neil Armstrong (on TV): “What?”
Conrad tries to break the tension.
Pete Conrad: “Jim, do you think it's too late for him to abort?”
Jim Lovell: “No, no. He still has time to get out. He just needs somebody to wave him off.”
Jim Lovell and Pete Conrad: “Pull up now Neil! Pull up now! Pull up!”
Everybody: “Shhh!”
The room quiets down as their attention is once again focused on the TV images. Jim Lovell is watching intensely as he imagines what it must be like to step on the lunar surface. The only sound that can be heard is that which is coming from the television.
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM for APOLLO 11) (on TV): “Okay, Neil, we can see you coming down the ladder now.”
Neil Armstrong (on TV): “Okay.”
Walter Cronkite (on TV): “Boy, look at those pictures. Wow!”
Neil Armstrong (on TV): “I'm at the foot of the ladder. The LM footpads are only depressed in the surface about one or two inches. It's almost like a powder.”
Walter Cronkite (on TV): “Armstrong is on the Moon. Neil Armstrong...”
Neil Armstrong (on TV): “...I'm gonna step off the LM now...”
Walter Cronkite (on TV): “... 38 year-old American, standing on the surface of the Moon, on this July 20th, nineteen-hundred and sixty-nine.”
Neil Armstrong (on TV): “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Walter Cronkite (on TV): “His quote was:...”
Neil Armstrong (on TV): “I only go in a small fraction of an inch, maybe an eighth of an inch, but I can see...”
Walter Cronkite (over ARMSTRONG on TV): “...That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!”
0:05:59 A world where man has walked on the moon (backyard scene following Apollo 11 moonwalk)
EXT. LOVELL HOUSE -- BACK YARD - NIGHT
Looking up at the Moon, Jim Lovell tries blocking the Moon with his thumb, which entirely covers the Moon.
[Different from the film, the night of the Apollo 11 landing the moon was actually a waning crescent. And the moon set at 11:54 pm CDT Houston time, before the moonwalk was completed. So Lovell's scene where he holds his thumb up had to happen well before the moonwalk.]
["BEYOND THE SEA'" performed by Bobby Darin plays in the background]
Marilyn Lovell state's the obvious.
Marilyn Lovell: “You're drunk, Lovell.”
Jim Lovell: “Yeah, I'm not used to the Champagne.”
Marilyn Lovell: “Me neither. I can't deal with cleaning up. Let's sell the house.”
Jim Lovell: “All right. Let's sell the house. They're back inside now, looking up at us. Ain't that something?”
Marilyn Lovell: “I bet Jenny Armstrong doesn't get a wink of sleep tonight. Ah, when you were on the far side on Eight, I didn't sleep at all. I just vacuumed over and over again.”
Jim Lovell: “Christopher Columbus, Charles Lindbergh and Neil Armstrong. Neil Armstrong. From now on we'll live in the world when man has walked on the Moon. It's not a miracle. We just decided to go. Apollo 8 - we were so close. Just sixty nautical miles down and... Mmm. It was like just step out, and walk on the face of it. I wanna go back there.”
Marilyn Lovell: “Where's my mountain?”
["GROOVIN'" performed by The Young Rascals plays in the background]
Jim Lovell: “Well, it... It's right up by the... you see, okay... you see the... where the shadow crosses the white area there? That's the Sea Tranquility. And your mountain's right there on the edge of that. Your mountain. Your mountain, Marilyn. Mountain Marilyn.”
Marilyn Lovell: “I don't see it.”
Jim Lovell: “Well, you gotta look harder... you look... While, I...”
Marilyn Lovell is sitting in a lounge as Jim Lovell starts to kiss her on her neck.
Marilyn Lovell: “Jim... Jim...”
0:10:15 Jim finds out he’s going to the Moon
Deke Slayton: “Jim, can I have a minute? Something's come up.”
Jim Lovell: “Sure, you bet... Henry.”
INT. LOVELL HOME -- DAY
The front door swings open as an excited Jim Lovell searches the house for someone to share the good news with.
Jim Lovell: “Hey! Anybody home?!”
["SOMEBODY TO LOVE" performed by Jefferson Airplane plays from the stereo in Barbara's room]
A discussion is going on in Barbara’s room between Marilyn and Barbara Lovell over Halloween costumes.
Marilyn Lovell: (off camera) “Definitely not!”
Barbara Lovell: “I'm not being a cheerleader, mom! You don't understand, I worked so hard on this!”
Marilyn Lovell: “Barbara! Maybe, I don't understand, but you are not wearing that out in this neighborhood! That's the end of this. I don't wanna hear it!”
Now Susan Lovell decides to join the discussion.
Susan Lovell: “She's not even wearing a bra. You can see everything!”
Barbara Lovell: “Shut up!”
Marilyn Lovell: “Susan!”
Jim Lovell: “Hey, everybody!”
Marilyn Lovell: “Jim!”
Jim Lovell: “Marilyn. Trick or treat. You know that Easter vacation trip we had planned for Acapulco?”
Marilyn Lovell: “Uh-oh.”
Jim Lovell: “I was thinking, there might be a slight change in destination.”
Marilyn Lovell: “Really?”
Jim Lovell: “Maybe, say... the Moon... Al Shepard's ear infection has flared up. And we've all been bumped up to the prime crew of Apollo 13. Straight to the head of the line and the Fra Mauro highlands.”
[Different than the movie, the actual reason for assigning Al Shepard to Apollo 14 instead of Apollo 13 was not his inner ear, but his lack of training, combined with the relatively short time until launch. Flying Shepard hard on a later flight would give his crew more time to train.]
Marilyn Lovell: “Six months. You're moving up six months?”
Barbara Lovell: “Dad! Can I please wear this?”
Jim Lovell: “Sure!”
Marilyn Lovell: “Jim!”
Jim Lovell: “No! No! Absolutely not!”
Barbara Lovell: “This stinks!”
Marilyn Lovell: “They are not rushing things, are they? I mean, you're gonna be ready in six months?”
Jim Lovell: “We'll be ready. Oh, hell, I wouldn't want to be around Al Shepard tonight. I gotta get over there. We're gonna have to get up the speed on this.”
Marilyn Lovell: “Go, go!”
Jim Lovell: “I'm gonna walk on the Moon, Marilyn.”
Marilyn Lovell: “I know. I can't believe it. And, naturally, it's thirteen. Why thirteen?”
Jim Lovell: “It comes after twelve, Hon.”
0:22:08 Jack Swigert finds out he’s going to the Moon
INT. SWIGERTS HOUSE - BATHROOM -- DAY
The water is running in the shower as Jack and his Guest are "showering".
[Telephone rings]
["MAGIC CARPET RIDE" performed by Steppenwolf plays in the background]
Tracey: “Oh, let it ring.”
Jack Swigert: “I gotta take that.”
Tracey: “Oh why?”
Jack Swigert: “Because I'm on the back-up crew. The back-up crew has to set up the guest list and book the hotel room... (into telephone handset) Swigert...Yeah...Yes... Yes, Sir...I...I understand...Thank you, Sir... (hangs up telephone) (brief pause) AAAAY-HOOO!”
0:22:45 Ken Mattingly Finds out he’s not going to the Moon
Jim, Ken, and Fred sit on folding chairs in the simulator white room and Jim tries to explain the situation to Ken.
[In this scene the NASA worm logo appears on a door - six years before it was designed.]
Ken Mattingly: “Well, I a... Damn. Medical guys. I had the feeling when they started doing all the blood tests that... I mean, I know it's their ass if I get sick up there but I mean...Jesus!... Oh, boy... Swigert., he'll... he'll be fine. He's... he's strong... It'll be a hell of a mission. One for the books...You're sure about this, Jim? I mean, why don't I go upstairs and talk to Deke? I'm sure we can work this out.
Jim Lovell: “This was my call.”
Ken Mattingly: “Must've been a tough one... Look, I don't have the measles. I'm not gonna get the measles.”
[Ken Mattingly storms out of the room]
Fred Haise: “Ken, Wait up!”
0:27:37 Launch party
Jim Lovell: “Well, hey, that looks like Marilyn Lovell. But it can't be. She's not coming to the launch.”
Marilyn Lovell: “I heard there was gonna be a hell of a show.”
Jim Lovell: “Who told you that?”
Marilyn Lovell: “Some guy I know.”
Jim Lovell: “You can't live without me.”
Pad Technician: “Okay, folks. Let's say good night.”
Voices: “Good night!”
Pad Technician: “We got a big day tomorrow for these guys.”
Voices: “Good night!”
Jim Lovell: “You heard about Ken?”
Marilyn Lovell: “Yeah.”
Jim blows Marilyn a kiss from across the road.
0:32:24 Launch
INT. COMMAND MODULE
Guenter Wendt: “Jim, you're all set.”
INT. MISSION OPERATIONS CONTROL ROOM
Gene Krantz dons white vest and buttons it up.
[Applause and whistles from everyone in the MOCR.]
Andy (CAPCOM): “Very Sharp.”
[APPLAUSE]
MOCR Officer (off camera): “Hey, Gene! I guess we can go now!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “Save it for splashdown guys.”
FD LOOP: “EECOM, you got everything you need? Okay.”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “Apollo 13 Flight Controllers. Listen up! Give me a go/no-go for launch... Booster!”
Booster: “Go!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “RETRO! (Retrofire Officer)”
RETRO: “Go!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “FIDO! (Flight Dynamics Officer)”
Jerry (FIDO): “We're go, Flight!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “Guidance!”
Guidance: “Guidance go!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “Surgeon!”
Surgeon: “Go, Flight.”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “EECOM! (Command Service Module Electrical and Environmental Engineer)”
Sy Liebergot (EECOM): “We're go, Flight!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “GNC! (Guidance, Navigation & Control)”
GNC: “We're go!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “TELMU! (Telemetry)”
TELMU: “Go!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “Control! (EECOM's counterpart for Lunar Module systems)”
Control: “Go, Flight!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “Procedures!”
Procedures: “Go!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “INCO! (Instrumentation and Communications Officer)”
INCO: “Go!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “FAO! (Flight Activities Officer)”
FAO: “We are go!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “Network!”
Network: “Go!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “Recovery!”
Recovery: “Go!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “CAPCOM! (Capsule Communicator)”
Andy (CAPCOM): “We're go, Flight!”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “Launch Control, this is Houston. We are go for launch!”
TITLE:LAUNCH CONTROL CENTER - CAPE
KENNEDY, FLORDIA
Launch Controller: “Roger that, Houston! Pad Leader. What's your status?”
KSC PAO: (heard at VIP viewing area) “We are go for launch. T-Minus sixty seconds and counting.”
FD LOOP: “Stand by. Roger that.”
Jim Lovell: “Fuel pumps. This is it. A few bumps and we're haulin' the mail.”
GUIDO: “Control, this is guidance. We're ready for takeoff.”
Launch Controller: “We are go for launch. T-minus.”
KSC PAO: “15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. Ignition sequence starts. 3, 2, 1. Ignition.”
[In the film, the launch of the Saturn V is a wonderfully artistic depiction, but has many mistakes. The Saturn V's engines actually ignite several seconds before zero. The build-up permits them to be checked out and if there's a problem the engines can be shut off. The gantry arms, which include electrical umbilicals and propellant lines all separate at the same time on the actual vehicle.]
Jim Lovell: “The clock is running!”
KSC PAO: “We have lift-off!”
0:37:42 Glitch
Jim Lovell: “Houston, this is Thirteen. We got a center engine cut off, go on the other four!”
[In the film, when the center engine cuts out the number 5 engine light flashes. In an actual spacecraft, these lights do not flash. They are on or off.]
Andy (CAPCOM): “Roger that, Thirteen. We show the same.”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “Booster, can you confirm that center engine cut off?”
Booster: “Roger that, Flight. Looks like we've lost it.”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “FIDO, what's that gonna do to us?”
Jerry (FIDO): “Stand by, Flight.”
Guidance: “I need to know if the IU's (Instrument Unit) correcting for the number five shut down.”
Jim Lovell: “Houston, what's the story on Engine 5?”
FD LOOP: “Guidance is good.”
Jerry (FIDO): “Looks good, we're still go! We'll be all right as long as we don't lose another one.”
Gene Krantz (FLIGHT DIRECTOR): “Roger that.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “Thirteen, we're not sure why the inboard was out early, but the other engines are go, so we're just gonna burn those remaining engines for a little bit longer.”
Jim Lovell: “Roger that.”
Jim Lovell: “Our gimbals are good. Our trim is good. (To Crew) Look's like we just had our glitch for this mission.”
0:45:55 First TV Broadcast
Jim Lovell: “Okay, good evening, America! And welcome aboard Apollo 13! I'm Jim Lovell and we're broadcasting to you tonight from an altitude of almost two hundred thousand miles away from the face of the Earth. And we have a pretty good show in store for you tonight. We are going to show you just what our life is like for the three of us...”
Marilyn Lovell: “Susan, Barbara.”
Jim Lovell: “... here in the vast expanse of outer space. Okay, one of the first things we'd like to do is provide you with the appropriate background music. So uh, hit it there, Freddo!”
["SPIRIT IN THE SKY" performed by Norman Greenbaum plays on tape recorder]
Fred Haise: “Hello World!”
Jim Lovell: “That was supposed to be the theme to 2001 in honor of our Command Module Odyssey, but there seems to have been a last minute change in the program.”
[In the real mission Lovell's cassette player actually played the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme "Also Sprach Zarathustra", not "Spirit in the Sky".]
Andy (CAPCOM): “When I go up there on Nineteen, I'm gonna take my entire collection of Johnny Cash along.”
Henry Hurt: “Hey, Marilyn.”
Marilyn Lovell: “Where's their broadcast?”
Henry Hurt: “All the networks dumped us. One of them said we made going to the Moon about as exciting as taking a trip to Pittsburgh.”
Blanch Lovell: “My son's supposed to be on. He's in outer space.”
Orderly: “These are all the channels we get, Mrs. Lovell.”
Blanch Lovell: “It's that damn TV guide again.”
[In the actual mission: TV Guide actually listed normal programming for that day, though with a warning that it might be preempted.]
Announcer (on TV commercial): “Ruthless porters. Savage baggage masters...”
["LEMONTREE" performed by Trini Lopez plays from CM]
Jim Lovell: “Jack Swigert, our command module pilot has requested ...”
Marilyn Lovell: “Do they know they're not on the air?”
Henry Hurt: “We'll tell them when they get back.”
Jim Lovell: “...don't ya Jack?”
Jack Swigert: “Well uh, if anyone from the IRS is watching, I forgot to file my 1040 return and I meant to do it today but...”
Sy Liebergot (EECOM): “That's no joke! They'll jump on him!”
Fred Haise: “Well, folks, let's head on down to the lunar excursion module. Follow me.”
Jim Lovell: “Now when we get ready to land on the Moon, Fred Haise and I will float through this access tunnel into the lunar module leaving...”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “EECOM. That... that stir's gonna be on both H2 and both O2 tanks, is that correct?”
Jim Lovell: (continues off camera, under Krantz) “... Jack Swigert to pilot the command module, but until that time comes both ...”
Jim Lovell: “... spacecraft will remain connected. Well, folks, as you can probably tell the Aquarius isn't much bigger than a couple of telephone booths. The skin of the LM in some places is only as thick as a couple of layers of tinfoil and that's all what protects us from the vacuum of space. We can get away with this because the LM is designed only for flight in outer space... Fred Haise; Renaissance man. Okay, we'll head back up the tunnel now, and back into the Odyssey... All right, we've returned to the command...
[loud BANG in spacecraft] Stand by one, Houston.”
Fred Haise: “Gotcha! Ha, ha!”
Jim Lovell: “Houston. The bang you heard was Fred Haise on the cabin repress (re-pressurization) valve. He really gets our hearts going every time with that one... Okay, we're... we're about ready to close out the Aquarius and return to the Odyssey. Our next broadcast will be from Fra Mauro on the surface of the Moon... So, this is the crew of the Apollo 13 wishing everyone back on Earth a... a pleasant evening.”
0:50:18 Houston, we have a problem
Jim Lovell: “Well, between Jack's back taxes and the Fred Haise show, I'd say that was a pretty successful broadcast.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “That was an excellent show, Odyssey.”
Jack Swigert: “Thank you very much, Houston.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “We'd got a couple of housekeeping procedures for you, we'd like you to roll right to zero six zero and null your rates.”
Jack Swigert: “Roger that. Rolling right, zero six zero.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “And if you could give your oxygen tanks a stir.”
Jack Swigert: “Roger that.”
[EXPLOSION]
Jack Swigert: “Hey, we've got a problem here.”
Jim Lovell: “What did you do?”
Jack Swigert: “Nothing. I stirred the tanks.”
Sy Liebergot (EECOM): “Whoa. Hey.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “This is Houston. Say again, please.”
Jim Lovell: “Houston, we have a problem. We have a main bus B undervolt. We've got a lot of thruster activity here, Houston.”
Jack Swigert: “What's the story with the computer now?”
Jim Lovell: (answers Swigert) “It just went off line.”
Jim Lovell: (to Houston) “Uh, there's another master alarm, Houston!”
Jack Swigert: “I'm checking the quads!”
Fred Haise: “Christ, that was no repress valve!”
Jack Swigert: “Maybe, it's in Quad C.”
Jim Lovell: “We've got a computer restart!”
Jack Swigert: “I'm gonna re-configure the RCS!”
Jim Lovell: “We've got a ping light.”
Jack Swigert: “The way these things are firing it just doesn't make any sense.”
Jim Lovell: “We've got multiple caution and warning, Houston... We've got to reset and restart.”
Jack Swigert: “All right, I'm going SCS...”
Dr. Chuck (Flight Surgeon): “Jesus. Flight, their heart rates are skyrocketing.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “EECOM. What's your data telling you?”
Sy Liebergot (EECOM): “O2 tank 2 not reading at all, tank 1 is at 725 psi and falling. Fuel cells 1 and 3 are... Oh, boy. What's going on here? Flight, let me get back to you.”
GNC: “Flight, GNC.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “Go GNC.”
GNC: “Flight. They're all over the place. They keep going close to gimbal lock.”
TELMU: “I keep losing radio signal, Flight, their antennae must be flipped around.”
GNC: “... do it manually, if they can do it at all.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “One at a time, people! One at a time! One at a time! EECOM, is this an instrumentation problem or are we looking at real power loss here?”
Sy Liebergot (EECOM): “It's reading a quadruple failure. That can't happen. It's gotta be instrumentation.”
Jim Lovell: “Let's get that hatch buttoned. The LM might have been hit by a meteor.”
Jack Swigert: “Yep!”
Fred Haise: (to Lovell): “The tunnel's really torquing with all this movement.”
Fred Haise: “Houston, we had a pretty large bang there associated with the master alarm.”
Fred Haise: (to Lovell) “Shit, it's main bus A!”
Andy (CAPCOM): “... main bus A undervolt?”
Fred Haise: “Houston, we have a main bus A undervolt now, too... It's reading 25 and a half. Main bus B is reading zip right now... We got a wicked shimmy up here.”
Andy (CAPCOM): (under Krantz) “Stand by one.”
Fred Haise: (under Krantz) (intermittent voice with static)
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): (to EECOM, GNC) “These guys are talking about bangs and shimmies up there, don't sound like instrumentation to me.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “You are breaking up, Thirteen?”
Jack Swigert: “Can't get this hatch seal!”
Jim Lovell: “Just...”
Andy (CAPCOM): “We need you to switch to Omni...”
Jim Lovell: “Just stow it. If we'd been hit by a meteor, we'd be dead by now.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “... Bravo.”
Jim Lovell: “I'm gonna try to get us out of this lurch.”
Fred Haise: “Houston, you're in the mud. Did you say switch to Omni Bravo?”
Andy (CAPCOM): “Roger that, Thirteen.”
Fred Haise: “Roger. And the signal strength on the high gain went way down.”
Jim Lovell: “It's fighting me. What's the story here, Jack? We keep flirting with gimbal lock!”
Andy (CAPCOM): “Odyssey, we need confirmation, what systems do you have down?”
Jack Swigert: “Okay, Jim. SM RCS helium 1 - A and C are barber poled.”
Fred Haise: “I'm having a hard time reading you there. Did you say switch to Omni Charlie?”
Jim Lovell: “Houston, I'm switching over Quad C to Main A.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “Roger that, Thirteen.”
Jack Swigert: “Okay, Houston. Fuel cell 1. Fuel cell 3. We got a main bus B undervolt, cryo pressure, suit compressor. What don't we have? AC bus 1, AC bus 2, Command Module computer, and 02 flow high. I... I don't know. Maybe, this is a caution and warning failure.”
Jim Lovell: “Houston... We are venting something out into space... I can see it outside of Window 1 right now... It's definitely a... a gas of some sort.”
Jim Lovell: (to CREW) “It's got to be the oxygen.
Andy (CAPCOM): “Roger, Odyssey. We copy your venting.”
0:56:18 We just lost the moon
Sy Liebergot (EECOM): “Flight.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “Yeah. Go, EECOM.”
Sy Liebergot (EECOM): “Uhm... Flight, I recommend we shut down the reactant valves of the fuel cells.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “What the hell good is that gonna do?”
Sy Liebergot (EECOM): “If that's where the leak is, we can isolate it. We can isolate it there, we can save what's left in the tanks and we can run on the good cell.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “You close 'em, you can't open them again. You can't land on the Moon with one healthy fuel cell.”
Sy Liebergot (EECOM): “Gene, the Odyssey is dying. From my chair here, this is the last option.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, Sy... CAPCOM, let's have them close the reactant valves.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “Thirteen, this is Houston. We want you to close reac valves on cells 1 and 3. Do you copy?”
Jim Lovell: “Are you saying you want the whole smash? Closing down the reac valves for the fuel cells' shut down? Shutting down the fuel cells. Did I hear you right?”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “Yeah, they heard me right... Tell them we think that's the only way they can stop the leak.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “Yeah, Jim... We think that closing the reac valves may stop the leak.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “Did he copy that?”
Andy (CAPCOM): “Do you copy, Jim?”
Jim Lovell: “Yes, Houston, we copy.”
Jim Lovell: (to CREW) “We just lost the Moon... Okay, Freddo, shut those down.”
1:03:30 Marilyn finds out about the accident
Jules Bergman (on TV): “The Apollo 13 spacecraft has lost all electrical power. And astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert are making their way through the tunnels of the Lunar Module using it as a lifeboat, so they'll have electrical power for their radios on the Command Module. Apollo 13 is apparently also losing breathing oxygen...”
Marilyn Lovell: “Slow down. An electrical failure...”
Jules Bergman (on TV): “...and the astronauts may have to use the LM oxygen supply.”
Marilyn Lovell: “ ...what exactly does that mean?”
Jules Bergman (on TV): “...The emergency has ruled out any chance of a lunar landing and could endanger the lives of the astronauts themselves. If the LM's oxygen supply plus whatever is left of the Command Module's oxygen can't last them until they can get back to Earth.”
Marilyn Lovell: “What do you mean there's no immediate danger. I just heard they're losing oxygen. Can they get back?”
Jules Bergman (on TV): “The LM descent rocket engine will be used in aborting the mission and getting the astronauts safely back to Earth. Recapping what has happened now. The Apollo 13 astronauts may be in grave danger...”
Marilyn Lovell: “No, don't give me that NASA bullshit! I wanna know what's happening with my husband!”
1:06:32 Odyssey signing off
Andy (CAPCOM): “Thirteen, Houston. We still show that venting pushing you around. How're you doing?”
Jim Lovell: “Houston, Aquarius... We've had to learn how to fly all over again but we are doing better up here now.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “Roger that, Aquarius.”
Glynn Lunney (Flight Director): “Have 'em, close it out.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “Jack, we can close out your procedure now.”
Jack Swigert: “Now... Do we know for sure that we can power this thing back up?... It's going to get awfully cold in here.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “Copy that, Jack. We'll just have to deal with that later.”
INCO: “Computer off.”
TELMU: “We're clear.”
Control: “We're go on the LM.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “We confirm shutdown, Jack. Lunar Module now in control.”
Jack Swigert: “Roger that, Houston. This is Odyssey. Signing off.”
1:14:55 Let's go home
Fred Haise: “Gotta tell you, I had an itch to take this baby down though, and do some prospecting. Damn we were close.”
Jim Lovell: “Gentlemen, what are your intentions?... I'd like to go home. We got a burn coming up. We're gonna need a contingency if we lose comm with Houston. Freddo, let's...let's get an idea where we stand on the consumables. Jack, get into the Odyssey and bag up all the water you can before it freezes in there... Let's go home.”
1:16:06 Failure is not an option
Control: “Whoa, whoa, guys! The power's everything. Power is everything.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “What you mean?”
Control: “Without it they don't talk to us, they don't correct their trajectory, they don't turn the heatshield around... we gotta turn everything off. Now. They're not gonna make it to re-entry.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “What do you mean everything?”
Control: “With everything on the LM draws 60 amps. At that rate in sixteen hours the batteries are dead, not 45. And so is the crew. We gotta get them down to 12 amps.”
MOCR Engineer: “Whoa. 12 amps! How many? You can't run a vacuum cleaner on 12 amps, John.”
Control: “We have to turn off the radars, cabin heater, instrument displays, the guidance computer, the whole smash.”
Jerry (FIDO): “Whoa. Guidance computer. What... what if they need to do another burn? Gene, they won't even know which way they're pointed.”
Control: “The more time we talk down here, the more juice they waste up there. I've been looking at the data for the past hour.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “That's the deal?”
Control: “That's the deal.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “Okay, John. The minute we finish the burn, we'll power down the LM.”
Control: “All right.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “Now, in the meantime... we're gonna have a frozen command module up there. In a couple of days we're gonna have to power it up using nothing but the re-entry batteries.”
MOCR Engineer: “Never been tried before. Hell, we've never even simulated it before, Gene.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “Well, we're gonna have to figure it out. I want people in our simulators working re-entry scenarios. I want you guys to find every engineer who designed, every switch, every circuit, every transistor and every light bulb that's up there. Then I want you to talk to the guy in the assembly line who had actually built the thing. Find out how to squeeze every amp out of both of these goddamn machines. I want this mark all the way back to Earth with time to spare. We never lost an American in space. We're sure as hell not gonna lose one on my watch! Failure is not an option!”
1:22:04 Henry Hurt asks Marilyn Lovell to put a transmitter up on her lawn
Henry Hurt: “Good morning.”
Marilyn Lovell: “Henry! Don't you ever sleep?”
Henry Hurt: “I... I have a request from the news people.”
Marilyn Lovell: “Uh-Huh.”
Henry Hurt: “They're out front here. They wanna put a transmitter up on the lawn.”
Marilyn Lovell: “A transmitter?”
Henry Hurt: “It's a kind of a tower for live broadcast.”
Marilyn Lovell: “I thought they didn't care about this mission. They didn't even run Jim's show.”
Henry Hurt: “Well, it's more dramatic now. Suddenly people are...”
Marilyn Lovell: “Well if landing on the moon wasn't dramatic enough for them, why should not landing on it be?”
Henry Hurt: “Look. I... I realize how hard this is, Marilyn, but the whole world is caught up in it and it's... the biggest story since...”
Marilyn Lovell: “No, Henry. Those people don't put one piece of equipment on my lawn. If they have a problem with that, they can take it up with my husband. He'll be home... on Friday.”
1:26:05 Argument on the LM
Jack Swigert: (interrupting HAISE & LOVELL) “I've been going over the numbers again. Have they called up with a re-entry plan yet? Because we're coming in too shallow.”
Jim Lovell: “We're working on something, Jack. Just hold on.”
Jack Swigert: “All right, all right.”
Fred Haise: “I can't remember the ratio to temperature. We've got no references on board.”
Jim Lovell: “Well, let's see if Houston can pull up the mill specs (Millitary Specifications) on it and we'll...”
Jack Swigert: (interrupting LOVELL) “Listen. Listen. Listen. They gave us too much Delta-V. They had us burn too long. At this rate we're gonna skip right out of the atmosphere, and we're never gonna get back.”
Fred Haise: “What're you talking about? How did you figure that?”
Jack Swigert: “I can add.”
Jim Lovell: “Jack, they've got half of the PH.D's on the planet working on this stuff.”
Fred Haise: “Houston says we're right on the money.”
Jack Swigert: “What if they had made a mistake, all right, and there was no way to reverse it . You think they would tell us? There's no reason for them to tell us.”
Fred Haise: “What you mean they're not gonna tell us. That's bullshit!”
Jim Lovell: “All right! There are thousand things that have to happen in order we are on number 8, you're talking about number 692.”
Jack Swigert: “And in the meantime, I'm trying to tell you we're coming in too fast. I think they know it, and I think that's why we don't have a goddamn re-entry plan.”
Jim Lovell: “That's duly noted. Thank you, Jack.”
[Swigert bangs his head on tunnel access]
Jack Swigert: “Ow! God! Damn this piece of shit!”
Fred Haise: “Hey! This piece of shit's gonna get you home.”
Jim Lovell: “All right.”
Fred Haise: “That's because it's the only thing we've got left, Jack!”
Jack Swigert: “What're you saying, Fred?”
Fred Haise: “Well, I think you know what I'm saying.”
Jack Swigert: “Now wait a minute. All I did was stir those tanks.”
Fred Haise: “What was that gauge reading before you hit the switch.”
Jack Swigert: “Hey, don't tell me how to fly the damn CM, all right!”
Fred Haise: “You don't even know, do you?!”
Jack Swigert: “They brought me in here to do a job, they asked me to stir the damn tanks and I stirred the tanks!”
Jim Lovell: “Jack, stop kicking yourself in the ass.”
Jack Swigert: “This is not my fault!”
Jim Lovell: “No one is saying it is. If I'm in the left-hand seat when the call comes up, I stir the tanks.”
Jack Swigert: “Yeah, Well tell him that.”
Fred Haise: “I just asked you what the gauge was reading.”
Jim Lovell: “All right...”
Fred Haise: “And you don't know!”
Jim Lovell: “All right, we're not doing this, Gentlemen. We're not gonna do this. We're not gonna go bouncing off the walls for ten minutes. 'Cause we're just gonna end up right back here with the same problems. Try to figure out how to stay alive!”
CAPCOM: “Aquarius, this is Houston.”
Jim Lovell: (shouts) “Are we on VOX!”
Fred Haise: “No, we're not on VOX!”
Jim Lovell: (calmly) “Yeah, Houston, this is Aquarius. Go ahead.”
CAPCOM: “Ah, yeah, Jim. Could you check your CO2 gauge for us?”
Jim Lovell: “Yeah, Houston. We were just looking at that. Our CO2 measurement has jumped four notches in the last hour.”
Fred Haise: “That can't be right. I went over those numbers three times.”
CAPCOM: “Jim, that sounds about right. We were expecting that.”
Jim Lovell: "Well, that's very comforting to know, Houston. What do we do about it?”
CAPCOM: “Jim, we're working on a procedure down here for you... Do you copy?
Fred Haise: “Oh, Christ.”
Jim Lovell: “All right, Houston. We're standing by for those procedures.”
Fred Haise: “Christ, I know why my numbers are wrong. I only figured it for two people.”
Jack Swigert: “Maybe I should just hold my breath.”
1:33:40 The Steely-Eyed Missile Man (CO2 filter works)
Andy (CAPCOM): “Aquarius, please advise on CO2 status.
Jim Lovell: “Yeah, Houston. We're taking a look at those numbers right now... We're still holding close to 15, Houston.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “Roger that. Standing by.”
Jim Lovell: “Houston. The CO2 level has dropped to 9... and it is still falling.”
MOCR Engineer: “Yes. Yes.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “Great job you guys.”
Andy (CAPCOM): “It is good to hear, Aquarius.”
Andy (CAPCOM) (to TECHNICIAN) “And you, sir, are a steely-eyed missile man.”
1:34:18 Marilyn and kids tell Jim’s mother about the accident
Blanch Lovell: “Well, if it won't work, get me another one. My son's supposed to be on.
Orderly: “I know, Mrs. Lovell.”
Marilyn Lovell: “Hi, Blanch.”
Blanch Lovell: “They can't fix a damn thing in this place.”
Marilyn Lovell: “Blanch. It's Marilyn.”
Barbara Lovell: “Hi, Grandma!”
Blanch Lovell: -“I was gonna see Jimmy.”
Marilyn Lovell: “I know. I know. We came to tell you something.There's
been an accident. Jimmy's okay. He's all right... But he's not gonna get to walk on the moon.”
Blanch Lovell: “Well, they said he was.”
Marilyn Lovell: “I know. I know, uhm... That was before. Now there's been an explosion. And... they're all okay, they're all right. But now they're just going to... try to figure out a way to get them home. And... and it's a little bit dangerous. (to SUSAN) Oh, sweetie.
Blanch Lovell: (to SUSAN) “Are you scared? Well, don't you worry, honey. If they could get a washing machine to fly, my Jimmy could land it.”
1:45:41 Newscaster Jules Bergman questions Jim on being scared in space
Jules Bergman (on TV): “Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell has more time in space, almost 24 days already, than any other man. And I asked him recently, if he ever was scared.”
Jim Lovell (on TV pre-flight): “Oh well, I've had an engine flame out a few times in an aircraft, and I was kind of curious as to whether it was gonna light up again, things of that nature, but uh, they seemed to work out...”
Jules Bergman (on TV): “Is there a specific instance in an airplane emergency when you can recall fear?”
Jim Lovell (on TV pre-flight): “Oh, well, I'll tell you, I remember this one time. I'm...I'm in a (McDonnell F2H) Banshee at night in combat conditions, so there's no running lights on the carrier. It was the Shangri-La and we were in the Sea of Japan, and my... my radar had jammed, and my homing signal was gone because somebody in Japan was actually using the same frequency and so it was... was leading me away from where I was supposed to be. And I'm looking down at that big black ocean. So... I flip on my map light. And then suddenly zap everything shorts out right there in my cockpit, all my instruments are gone, my lights are gone, I can't even tell now what my altitude is. I know I'm running out of fuel, so I'm thinking about... about ditching in the ocean and I... I look down there and then... in... in the darkness there's this... there's this green trail, it's like a long carpet that just laid out right beneath me, and it was the algae, right. It was that phosphorescent stuff that gets turned up in the wake of a big ship and it was... it was... it was just leading me home. And... if my cockpit lights hadn't shorted out, there's no way I had ever been able to see that. So a... you a... you never know what... what events are gonna transpire to get you home.”
Jules Bergman (on TV): “Okay. Spacecraft Commander Jim Lovell, no stranger to emergency is he.”
1:53:00 Driving a toaster through a car wash
Ken Mattingly: “Okay, Jack. Give me a read back on that last procedure.”
Jack Swigert: “Stand by, Ken... Ken, I'm a... Well, I'm having trouble
reading my own writing. I guess, I'm a little more tired than I thought.”
Ken Mattingly: “Don't worry, Jack. I'll talk to you through it. Okay, find
the main bus breakers on panel 11.”
Jack Swigert: “Yeah, main bus breakers. Got it.”
Ken Mattingly: “Close main bus B.”
Jack Swigert: “Uh, Ken, there's an awful lot of condensation on these panels What's the word on these things shorting out.”
Ken Mattingly: “We'll just take that one at a time, Jack.”
Jack Swigert: “It's like trying to drive a toaster through a car wash.”
1:59:35 Hold on Freddo
Jim Lovell: “It's about time to bail out of this ship, Freddo. Freddo? You okay?”
Fred Haise: “I'm, uh, I'm freezing.”
Jim Lovell: “Can you old out just a little longer?”
Fred Haise: “As long as I have to.”
Jim Lovell: “Aw, come on.”
Fred Haise: “Damn.”
Jim Lovell: “It won't be long. Just a little while longer, Freddo...”
Fred Haise: “Yeah.”
Jim Lovell: “Just a little while longer. We're gonna hit that water in the South Pacific, open up that hatch. It's 80 degrees out there.”
Fred Haise: “80 degrees.”
Jim Lovell: “You are a mess.”
Fred Haise: “Yeah.”
2:02:00 Jim Lovell hands over captain’s seat to rookie Jack Swigert
Jim: “Sorry Jack it’s an old habit, gotten used to pilot’s seat. She’s yours to fly.
Jack: Looks over and smiles.
2:04:42 NASA’s Finest Hour
Henry Hurt: RETRO says the typhoon is still a presence in the splash down area?
NASA Director: Yeah.
Henry Hurt: “Whata we got? The parachute situation, the heat shield, the angle of trajectory and the typhoon, there's just so many variables. I'm a little at a loss…”
NASA Director: “I know what the problems are, Henry. This could be the worst disaster NASA's ever experienced.”
Gene Krantz (Flight Director): “With all due respect, sir. I believe this is going to be our finest hour.”
NASA Director: (whispers) “Okay.”
2:08:14 Splashdown
INCO: “Okay, Flight. That's three minutes. We are standing by for acquisition.”
Gene Kranz (Flight Director): “Copy that.”
Ken Mattingly: “Odyssey, Houston. Do you read me? Odyssey, this is Houston, do you read?”
Walter Cronkite (on TV): “Expected time of re-acquisition, the time when the astronauts were expected to come out of blackout, has come and gone. About all any of us can do now is just listen and hope. We're about to learn whether or not that heat shield which was damaged, if you remember, by the explosion three days ago has withstood the infernal of re-entry.”
Ken Mattingly: “ Odyssey, this is Houston. Do you read me? Odyssey, Houston. Do you read me?”
INCO: “Three minutes 30 seconds. Standing by.”
Ken Mattingly: “Odyssey, Houston. Do you read me?... Odyssey, this is Houston, do you read me?”
INCO: “That's 4 minutes. Standing by.”
Ken Mattingly: “Odyssey, Houston. Do you read?”
Jim Lovell: “Hello, Houston. This is Odyssey. It's good to see you again.”
Ken Mattingly: “Odyssey, Houston. Welcome home. We're glad to see you.”
2:14:20 Ending remarks
Jim: “I sometimes catch myself looking up at the moon, remembering the changes of fortune in our long voyage, thinking of the thousands of people, who worked to bring the 3 of us home. I look up at the moon and wonder, when will we be going back, and who will that be?”
EJG logo Edward J. Gallagher
Lehigh University Digital Library